India seeks agri goods testing parity

India is working with the US, European Union, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Switzerland, and the Asean bloc countries to mutually accept each other’s inspection, testing and quality certification systems for farm produce in an attempt to ensure low-friction movement in such trade, two senior government officials told Mint.

- Vijay C Roy & Dhirendra Kumar

The move is aimed at boosting agri goods exports.

The alignment of these systems under so-called Mutual Recognition Agreements, or MRAs, is expected to ensure agricultural goods enter foreign markets more smoothly and the high rate of rejections of Indian consignments over sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks reduce. Such checks are put in place by the importing country to prevent pests and disease entering its agriculture and farm sectors.

In September 2025, India and Australia had signed an MRA on organic products, accepting each other’s certification for a wide range of organic products.