National Agriculture Code

About National Agriculture Code:

• It will cover the entire agriculture cycle, and will also contain a guidance note for future standardisation.
• 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.
• The NAC will serve as a guide for farmers, agriculture universities, and officials involved in the field.
• It 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 also include standards for input management, like the 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.
• Objectives:
  • Create an implementable national code covering recommendations for agriculture practices taking agroclimatic zones, crop type, socio-economic diversity of the country and all aspects of agrifood value chain into consideration;
  • To act as an enabler of quality culture in Indian agriculture by providing the required reference to policy makers, agriculture departments and regulators for incorporating the provisions of NAC in their schemes, policies, or regulations;
  • To create a comprehensive guide for the farming community to ensure effective decision-making in agricultural practices;
  • To integrate relevant Indian Standards with recommended agricultural practices;
  • To address the horizontal aspects of agriculture such as SMART farming, sustainability, traceability and documentation; and
  • To aid in the capacity-building program organized by agriculture extension services and civil society organisations.