New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) Around 40 buyers from 17 countries including South Korea, the UAE, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Singapore, Norway, Kuwait and the United Kingdom, attended the Buyer–Seller Meet in Gangtok, Sikkim, it was announced on Saturday.

Nearly 20 leading Indian exporters, including NCEL, Basillia Organics, Flex Foods and Nexton, also participated, with approximately 100 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs/FPCs) from Sikkim.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), in collaboration with the Sikkim Government and in association with IFOAM-Asia, organised the Sikkim Organic Conclave-cum-International Buyer Seller Meet (IBSM), said Commerce Ministry in a statement.

Through initiatives such as the Organic Conclave-cum-IBSM, APEDA continues to promote organic exports, expand market access, build capacity among FPOs and exporters and position Sikkim as an important contributor to India’s growing organic export sector.

An exhibition featuring around 12 exhibitors showcased Sikkim’s certified organic products, including Large Cardamom, GI-tagged Dalle Khursani, Sikkim Mandarin, Buckwheat, Turmeric and Orchids.

It highlighted the State’s diverse and export-ready organic produce and attracted interest from international buyers.

Sikkim became India’s first fully organic state in 2016, enabling its produce to gain recognition under APEDA’s export certification system.

The state was conferred the Future Policy Gold Award by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 2018 in recognition of its leadership in organic agriculture.

A knowledge report titled “Study on Supply Chain & Export Readiness for Organic Farm Products in Sikkim” was also released.

Prepared by NICDC Logistics Data Services Ltd. (NLDSL), the report outlines a roadmap to strengthen Sikkim’s organic export ecosystem through improved infrastructure, streamlined processes, enhanced aggregation, transparent price discovery and strategic market positioning.

It identifies measures to improve export competitiveness while ensuring sustainability, traceability and farmer-centric growth.

According to the official statement, a technical session was also conducted to sensitise stakeholders on the 8th Edition of the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), covering updated regulations and labelling requirements.

–IANS

na/