An NPOP grower group application needs three sets of documents: proof the group is eligible, details of every farmer, and the Internal Control System. This episode lists each set, based on the NPOP 8th Edition.
The short version
- First check the group is eligible: 25 to 500 farmers, within 50 km, one legal entity.
- Every farmer needs identity, land and location details, with father's or husband's name.
- The ICS needs a manual, internal standards in the local language, and named personnel.
- Farms of 4 hectares or more are inspected separately.
Is the Group Eligible?
Check the NPOP grower group rules before collecting anything else.
| NPOP grower group rule (8th Edition, section 5.2) | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Legal form | A registered society, an FPO or Farmer Producer Company under the Companies Act, 2013, or a co-operative society |
| Size | At least 25 and at most 500 farmers (10 for aquaculture) |
| Location | Members' land within a radius of 50 km, preferably the same or adjacent villages |
| Production | Members follow similar production systems |
| Marketing | The group markets its produce as a single entity |
| Large farms | Farms of 4 hectares or more may join, but are inspected separately by the CB every year, and together must be under 50% of the group's area |
| Internal control | An Internal Control System (ICS) that inspects every farmer twice a year |
Documents for the Group
Legal registration, governing documents, a board resolution and the member list.
- Registration certificate as a society, FPO or Farmer Producer Company, or co-operative.
- Memorandum and Articles of Association, or bye-laws.
- PAN, and GST registration if held.
- Board resolution to seek NPOP certification, stating the scope.
- List of member farmers with name, father's or husband's name, address with pin code, farm location, area, crops and organic status.
NPOP requires this farmer list to be displayed at the ICS office and kept up to date.
Documents for Each Farmer
Identity, land record, farm location, farm history, a signed agreement with the ICS, and a farm diary.
- Aadhaar card, with the name matching the land record.
- Land record or registered lease showing survey number and area.
- Geo-location of the farm.
- Farm history of crops and inputs.
- Signed agreement with the ICS.
- A farm diary, kept with the farmer, recording activities on the farm.
Illustrative workload. At about two minutes per farmer to check the land record against the declaration, 300 farmers take about 10 hours.
Documents for the Internal Control System
An ICS manual, internal standards in the local language, an organisation chart, and personnel records.
- ICS manual: policies and procedures, including how members join and leave. A model format is in the NPOP Procedures 2024.
- Internal standards: in the local language, with pictures where farmers cannot read.
- Organisation chart: the ICS Manager, internal inspectors, the three-member approval committee and other roles.
- Inspector profiles: at least one internal inspector per 50 to 60 farmers.
- Conflict of interest: written declarations from ICS personnel.
- Sanction procedure: how non-conformities are rated, corrected and sanctioned.
Check yourself
Tap an answer to see whether you are right, and why.
An FPO has 18 farmers. Can it apply as an NPOP grower group?
- Yes
- No; the minimum is 25
- Only with a large farm
NPOP 5.2 sets 25 to 500 farmers.
In which language must the ICS internal standards be written?
- English only
- The local language
- Hindi only
With pictures where farmers cannot read.
Remember these things
- Check eligibility first.
- Group documents, farmer documents, ICS documents.
- Display the farmer list at the ICS office.
- Internal standards in the local language.
A complete application, checked against the standards, avoids the first round of queries. KrushiFlow validates these fields and submits farmer records to the portal in bulk.