Understanding the National Agriculture Code: A New Era for Indian Agriculture

Introduction

• National Agriculture Code (NAC) is a major work in progress which is currently in the planning stages being set by the BIS to finally introduce certain standardization and incluence of some measures of quality in agriculture sector of the country.
• The NAC stands in order to develop a framework similar to the National Building Code and National Electrical Code toward creating guidelines toward the agriculture cycle, field preparation along with storage of produce.
• Due to differences yielded in crop combinations, social-economic requirements, and climate change, Indian agriculture although complex, the NAC aims to provide a helping hand in one way to farmers, policy makers, agriculture universities and regulators.

What is the National Agriculture Code?

The National Agriculture code consist of the Export Administration Act, Export Administration regulations and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The BIS is the Indian national standards organization that regulates norms and standards related with economic activities. In the agriculture sector BIS has already set standard for agriculture equipments such as tractor, harvester etc.agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, seeds etc. However, several highly sensitive sectors in and within agriculture including; land preparation, irrigation, crop management, and storage still do not have structured SOPs.

However, for purposes of policy formulation, BIS has begun the process of developing the National Agriculture Code (NAC). The purpose of this code is to provide a one-stop-shop for standards within the agricultural industry supply chain, delivering best practices and a level of resource detail which will support the entire agriculture cycle, lock, stock and barrel.

The NAC will comprise two main parts:

• General principles applicable to all crops: This section will incorporate the fundamental operations in farming that are general to all the farming systems in the world which will include areas of irrigation, soil management, pest control, and crops storage.
• Crop-specific standards: The second part will have specific recommendations for various crops, to be implemented for principal produced crops such as paddy, wheat, pulses and oil seeds.
• Therefore, by integrating all the stages of agriculture process under one code, the NAC will serve as a farmers’ guide for effective, sustainable and scientifically adopted farming practices in India.

Why is the National Agriculture Code Needed?

• India’s agricultural landscape is vast and diverse, but it faces several challenges, such as:
• Lack of uniformity in agricultural practices: These practices include preparing the fields, sowing, tending, weeding, harvesting and storing the produce, and hence to some extent, Indian farmers practice different techniques.
• Inconsistent use of technology: In addition, many farmers lack the ability to acquire modern technologies in farming like the IoT devices, sensor based smart irrigation systems and implements which results in low yields and poor water usage.
• Post-harvest losses: India faces a problem of post harvest loss as many vegetables are not stored, transported and processed correctly all of these lack policy guidance.
• Unregulated use of inputs: Chemical fertilisers, pesticides, weedicides pose threat to environment and soil health prevalence of which is increasing excessively due to ill regulated usage.
• The NACs are being developed to fill these gaps, and will provide a clear system of functioning applicable across the variances between regions in India. The code will make sure that farmer received information regardless of the place they are located in matters concerning farming processes from preparation of land to planting and from harvesting to storage. Additionally, sustainability and incorporating future trend of farming such us natural and organic farming into the code is the consideration of the NAC for what lies ahead in agriculture.

Key Areas Covered by the National Agriculture Code

• The NAC aims to standardize practices across a wide range of areas, ensuring that every stage of agriculture is covered under its umbrella:
  • Agricultural machinery: The NAC will broaden principles governing structures such as tractors, harvesters, planters, achieve efficiency, safety and sustainability.
  • Agricultural processes: Major decisions like selection of land, crop, method of Land preparation, Water management, pest control and soil health are going to be regulated.
  • Post-harvest operations: The code will also form a part and parcel of the crop management in relation to activities such as threshing, processing of the produce, storage and transportation, hence substantially minimizing post harvest losses.
  • Input management: The NAC will give direction on how best to use fertilizer, pesticide and weedicides and will encourage environmentally responsible farming.
  • Sustainability: One of the work areas of the NAC will be advocating for sustainable agriculture, which will include; natural farming, organic farming and water management.
  • Smart agriculture and IoT: New sectors such as smart farming involving IoT connected devices, sensors, and analytics to optimise crop harvests, and prevent resource misuse, will be incorporated in the NAC.
  • Record-keeping and traceability: It will also set standards for documentation in order to provide a provenance of both agricultural inputs and products.
• These focal areas will assist the farmer and policy maker, to make informed decisions due to the large amount of data that will be generated leading to increased crop yield, better utilization of the available resources and thus increased profitability.

Objectives of the National Agriculture Code

• The National Agriculture Code is being developed with several key objectives in mind:
  • Standardization of practices: The NAC shall help in evolving common code of standard operating procedures that suit the conditions of the country’s agro climatic zones, types of crops and socio economic status.
  • Enable a culture of quality: With the help of reference point the NAC will acknowledge the quality culture in the Indian agriculture so that each phase of farming practices quality.
  • Support for policy and regulation: The NAC will provide policymakers, agriculture departments and other regulating bodies with a guideline by which they can mainstream NAC standards into their schemes and policies.
  • Comprehensive guidance for farmers: NAC will therefore act as a decision tool on all issues surrounding farming right from the type of crop to be grown, to how to store the produce.
  • Focus on sustainability and traceability: With this code of practice, horizontal concerns as sustainability, traceability and documentation are going to be covered, as mandatory elements to address future challenges regarding food safety and environmental concern.
  • Capacity building: The NAC will support training and capacity building programs initiated by agricultural extension services and civil society organizations to make the farmers across India conversant with modern methods and standards of farming.

Time-line and Implementation of The NAC

The formulation of the NAC is expected to take two years and currently an estimated completion date is slated for October 2025. The BIS has already established working panels of experts, university professors, and R & D organisations to draw up the code of 12-14 identified areas. After fixing the code, BIS intends to work with universities to educate farmers on its usage and, where necessary, offer loans.

The Role of Standardized Agriculture Demonstration Farms (SADF)

Like the counterpart, BIS has embarked on an endeavour to establish Standardized Agriculture Demonstration Farms (SADF) in some agricultural institutes in India. These farms will be used to test out and apply various practices in farming as provided for under the NAC. These will be used to explain how incorporation of NAC guidelines makes a positive and tangible difference to productivity, sustainability and profitability.

Conclusion

The National Agriculture Code represents an enlightenment program enacted by the BIS as an attempt at standardizing agriculture throughout India. With guidelines from choosing the land to prepare to planting the seeds and even harvesting the crops and storage, the NAC will offer the farmers the best practices to adopt for increased production and minimized losses among other things. With further extension in the process of modernization of agriculture in India, NAC will have an always on responsibility in this direction.

FAQs: National Agriculture Code (NAC)

Q1: What is the National Agriculture Code (NAC)?
Ans: The NAC is a comprehensive set of standards being formulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to standardize all aspects of agriculture, from field preparation to crop storage. It aims to ensure best practices in farming, increase productivity, reduce losses, and promote sustainability.

Q2: Why is the National Agriculture Code needed?
Ans: The NAC is needed to address the lack of uniform standards in Indian agriculture. It will provide guidelines for efficient resource use, improved crop yields, sustainable practices, and modern farming techniques like smart agriculture and IoT.

Q3: What areas will the NAC cover?
Ans: The NAC will cover agricultural machinery, crop selection, irrigation, soil health, pest management, post-harvest operations, sustainability, record-keeping, and emerging areas like organic and natural farming.

Q4: How will the NAC benefit farmers?
Ans: Farmers will have access to scientifically backed best practices, ensuring better decision-making in land preparation, crop management, input use, and post-harvest processes. This will improve productivity and reduce waste.