NATIONAL AGRICULTURE CODE

About

It is code being formulated by BIS in order to fulfil the need for a comprehensive standards framework, for agriculture practices like preparation of fields, micro irrigation and water use.

Objectives

• To develop a workable national code that includes guidelines for agricultural practices that take into account the nation's socioeconomic variety, crop types, agroclimatic zones, and the entire agrifood value chain;
• To support the development of a quality culture in Indian agriculture by giving legislators, agriculture agencies, and regulators the references they need to include the NAC's provisions in their plans, policies, and regulations;
• To integrate pertinent Indian Standards with suggested agricultural practices and to develop a thorough guide for the farming community to promote efficient decision-making in agricultural activities.
• To deal with the horizontal facets of agriculture, including sustainable farming, traceability, recordkeeping, SMART farming; and
• To support the agriculture extension services and civil society organizations' capacity-building initiatives.

Parts

The code will have two parts. The first will contain general principles for all crops, and the second will deal with crop-specific standards for the likes of paddy, wheat, oilseeds, and pulses.

Coverage

The NAC will cover all agriculture processes and post-harvest operations, such as crop selection, land preparation, sowing/transplanting, irrigation/drainage, soil health management, plant health management, harvesting/threshing, primary processing, post-harvest, sustainability, and record maintenance. 

It will cover standards for agriculture machinery.

It will also include standards for input management, like use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and weedicides, as well as standards for crop storage and traceability.

Crucially, the NAC will cover all new and emerging areas like natural farming and organic farming, as well as the use of Internet-of-Things in the field of agriculture.

What are Standardised Agriculture Demonstration Farms? 

Apart from drafting the NAC, the BIS has also taken an initiative to set up a ‘Standardized Agriculture Demonstration Farm’ (SADF) in selected agriculture institutes in the country. These farms will serve as experimental sites for testing and implementing various agricultural practices and new technologies in accordance with Indian Standards

For the development of these specialised farms, the BIS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 10 prominent agricultural institutes.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.With reference to the National Agriculture Code (NAC), consider the following statements:

1. It will be formulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

2. It will cover post-harvest operations.

3. It does not include standards for input management like the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) All 

Answer: a

Explanation

— The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has begun the process of formulating a National Agriculture Code (NAC), on the lines of the existing National Building Code and National Electrical Code.

The NAC will cover the entire agriculture cycle, and will also contain a guidance note for future standardisation. The NAC will serve as a guide for farmers, agriculture universities, and officials involved in the field. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The code will have two parts. The first will contain general principles for all crops, and the second will deal with crop-specific standards for the likes of paddy, wheat, oilseeds, and pulses.

— In addition to standards for agriculture machinery, the NAC will cover all agriculture processes and post-harvest operations, such as crop selection, land preparation, sowing/transplanting, irrigation/drainage, soil health management, plant health management, harvesting/threshing, primary processing, post-harvest, sustainability, and record maintenance. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— It will also include standards for input management, like use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and weedicides, as well as standards for crop storage and traceability. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.