Cluster Based Business Organisations (CBBOs) often help FPOs set up the Internal Control System that NPOP group certification needs. This episode sets out the setup steps, the personnel NPOP requires, and the work that keeps an ICS running through the year.
The short version
- Set up in order: scope, ICS Manager, manual, members, training, inspections.
- NPOP names the ICS roles, including a three-member approval committee.
- An external service provider can run the ICS, but carries all its duties.
- Train internal inspectors every year through an external agency.
Setting Up the ICS
Define the group, appoint the ICS Manager, write the manual and standards, sign up members, train, then inspect.
- Define the group.Members, villages, crops and production system, within the NPOP rules.
- Appoint the ICS Manager.Preferably a member, living within the group's area.
- Write the ICS manual and internal standards.The manual from the model in the NPOP Procedures 2024; the standards in the local language.
- Sign up members.A signed agreement with each farmer, and a farm diary for each.
- Train.An initial advisory visit and training for every farmer.
- Inspect.A first round of internal inspections of every farmer, recorded and decided.
The People NPOP Requires
An ICS Manager, internal inspectors, a three-member approval committee, and field, purchase, warehouse and records staff.
| ICS role (NPOP 5.7) | What the role does |
|---|---|
| ICS Manager | Runs the ICS, organises internal inspections, and links with the Certification Body. Preferably a group member, living within the group's area |
| Internal inspectors | At least one per 50 to 60 farmers, so every farmer is inspected twice a year |
| Approval Committee | Three members from within the group, who take the approval decisions |
| Field officers | One in each production area, to train farmers in the field |
| Purchase officers | Buy produce from members correctly, with signed receipts |
| Warehouse manager | Where there are separate warehouses, handles the produce |
| Accounts and record keeper | Keeps the ICS accounts and records |
If the farmers cannot run the ICS themselves, they may contract an external service provider to act as the ICS. The provider then carries all the ICS's duties and sanctions under NPOP, and internal inspectors should still preferably come from within the group.
Running the ICS Through the Year
Two rounds of inspection, yearly training, yield estimates, receipts for purchases, and labelled storage.
| Activity | NPOP requirement |
|---|---|
| Internal inspections | Every farmer, twice a year |
| Inspector training | Each internal inspector, every year, by an external person or agency |
| Farmer training | One regular training a year from central or state agencies, in simple local language |
| Yield estimates | For each crop of each farmer, especially at harvest |
| Procurement | Signed purchase receipt to the farmer; bags labelled organic or in-conversion |
| Storage | Organic and in-conversion produce kept apart and labelled; no fumigation or irradiation |
Illustrative workload. At about two minutes per farmer to review records each quarter, a 500-farmer FPO takes about 17 hours every quarter.
Check yourself
Tap an answer to see whether you are right, and why.
Who must train internal inspectors every year?
- The ICS Manager
- An external person or agency
- No one
NPOP 5.16 requires annual external training.
Can an FPO contract an outside organisation to run its ICS?
- No
- Yes, and the provider carries all ICS duties
- Only for export groups
NPOP 5.5 allows an external service provider.
Remember these things
- Set up in a fixed order.
- Fill every NPOP role.
- Inspect twice a year; train yearly.
- Label and separate produce.
An ICS set up to the letter of NPOP carries the group through every inspection. KrushiFlow validates these fields and submits farmer records to the portal in bulk.