In PGS-India a Local Group registers once; there is no renewal of registration. What renews each year is certification, and only if the group keeps appraising, uploading, meeting and training. This episode sets out the yearly cycle, using the rules in the Revised PGS-India Guidelines 2023.
The short version
- Registration does not renew; certification does, every year.
- At least one peer appraisal a year involving all farmers.
- Scope certificate valid 12 months from the RC's approval.
- No summary sheet for 12 months: the group is suspended and restarts at PGS-Green-1.
What Actually Renews Each Year
Group registration and farmer approval do not renew; certification and the scope certificate do.
| Item | Renews? | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Local Group registration | No | Registered once; stays valid while the group keeps functioning |
| Individual farmer approval | No | Approved once; no further renewal needed |
| Certification of produce | Yes | Granted on the season's peer appraisal and the RC's approval |
| Scope certificate | Yes | Valid 12 months from RC approval; issued season-wise — kharif, rabi and zaid |
| Regional Council authorisation | Yes | Three-year term; renewal applied for at least 90 days before expiry |
Did you know?Unsold stock with no transaction certificate is deleted from the website automatically 12 months after the harvest date.
The Season Cycle a Group Must Complete
Sowing, appraisal window, summary sheet, RC approval and yields follow a fixed order every season.
window opens"] B -->|"until 15 days
before harvest"| C["Appraisal done,
Format-9 filled"] C -->|"7 days before
harvest"| D["Summary sheet
uploaded"] D --> E["RC approves
within 30 days"] E --> F["Scope certificate
valid 12 months"] C -->|"within 60 days
of harvest"| G["Actual yields
uploaded"]
What the Regional Council Must Do
The RC acts within 30 days, approves yields within 15, returns incomplete decisions, and meets its inspection quota.
- Act within 30 days on a group's certification decision. If the RC doesn't, the decision is auto-approved on the PGS-India website and a non-compliance is recorded against the RC.
- Approve uploaded yields within 15 days of the group submitting them.
- Return incomplete decisions rather than approving them — the group then has 15 days to resubmit.
- Physically inspect groups: each group within one year of registration, then at least once every two years, with at least 50% of the RC's groups evaluated every year.
The most expensive failure is silence. A group that submits no peer appraisal summary sheet for two seasons or 12 months is suspended, and reviving it does not restore its old status — the group restarts at PGS-Green-1, at the beginning of conversion. Years of accumulated status are lost to a missed upload.
The Group's Own Obligations
The group must also meet, train and keep attendance, or certification is not renewed.
Certification is not renewed on appraisals alone. The guidelines also require the group to meet and train, and members to show up:
| Obligation | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Group meetings | Four a year, at least two per season (§6.1.1). §4.2 states 2 a year for perennial-crop groups and 4 for annual-crop groups |
| Member attendance | Every member attends at least 50% of the year's meetings and signs the attendance register |
| Training | First training within 6 months of registration, and at least one every year |
| Peer appraisal | At least one a year involving all farmers, with a consolidated summary sheet |
Stock has a clock too. Produce may be held within the validity of the scope certificate, and unsold stock with no transaction certificates issued is deleted automatically by the website 12 months after the harvest date. Perishables run faster: livestock products, vegetables and fruits may be traded daily or weekly, with yields uploaded weekly or fortnightly and TCs issued in batches.
Where APEDA Tracenet Fits
Exports need NPOP certification through APEDA's Tracenet; a PGS certificate does not replace it.
PGS-India certification covers the domestic market. Exporting organic produce runs on a separate system — NPOP certification through an accredited certification body, recorded in APEDA's Tracenet — with its own registration, inspection and documentation.
A PGS scope certificate does not substitute for it. If your groups export, see APEDA Tracenet company registration and the MOVCDNER export route.
Keeping the Cycle on Track
Keep a calendar by group and season, built from sowing and harvest dates.
- Hold a calendar by group and season, keyed to sowing and expected harvest dates — every deadline in the cycle hangs off those two dates.
- Upload the summary sheet before the 7-day pre-harvest cut-off, not after the harvest.
- Record yields within 60 days of harvest so the RC's 15-day approval window can even start.
- Schedule the year's physical inspections against the 50% quota rather than leaving them to the last quarter.
The full list of dates for every level is in Every PGS-India Deadline.
Check yourself
Tap an answer to see whether you are right, and why.
Does a Local Group renew its registration every year?
- Yes
- No, only certification renews
- Only in PKVY clusters
The guidelines say there is no renewal of a group's registration.
A group submits no summary sheet for 12 months. What happens?
- A reminder is sent
- The group is suspended and restarts at PGS-Green-1
- Nothing
Revival starts from a fresh appraisal at PGS-Green-1.
Remember these things
- Certification renews; registration does not.
- Appraise all farmers at least once a year.
- Upload before the deadlines.
- Meet, train and keep attendance.
A calendar built from sowing and harvest dates keeps every group's certification alive. KrushiFlow validates these fields and submits farmer records to the portal in bulk.