Major Organisations in Agriculture | Current Affairs 2026 | All Agri Exams | Complete Revision

Main ideas / lessons conveyed

1) “Major Organisations in Agriculture” (Current Affairs revision lecture)

• The instructor frames the session as the second-last lecture in a series, stating that the current affairs portion will be mostly completed soon, with the rest covered the next day.
• The lecture covers agri-related organizations in sequence:
  • DMI (Directorate of Marketing & Inspection)
  • FSSAI (Food Safety & Standards Authority of India)
  • NFDB (National Fisheries Development Board)

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2) DMI (Directorate of Marketing & Inspection)

Core concept

• DMI = “marketing + inspection.”
• DMI’s inspection role focuses mainly on:
  • quality certification
  • grading/marking
  • primarily for scheduled products (not necessarily all products).

Relationship clarity (NAFED vs DMI)

• NAFED
  • Emphasis on cooperative marketing
  • Focuses on procurement/price support (e.g., pulses, oilseeds, copra).
• DMI
  • Does quality certification/grading
  • Does not procure
  • Does not handle cooperative marketing.

Key terms / schemes mentioned

• Agmark
  • A quality certification/mark under DMI.
• AgmarkNet
  • An agricultural marketing information network/portal
  • Provides market intelligence such as:
    • prevailing prices
    • where sales are happening
    • what is being sold
• Agmark grading facilities strengthening
  • DMI strengthens grading infrastructure/capability.
• Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI)
  • DMI supports ground-level infrastructure such as:
    • warehouses
    • cold storage
    • processing units
    • markets / market yards
    • market information systems
• Market Research and Information Network (MRIN)
  • Focuses on market research and information
  • Covers prices and availability research
  • Linked to the AgmarkNet portal.
• e-NAM (Electronic National Agriculture Market)
  • DMI supports/assists activities for online trading
  • For transparent price discovery across India.
• CCS NIAAM / Nayab (as referenced)
  • Chaudhary Charan Singh National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (CCS NIAAM), Jaipur
  • Mentioned as handling/assisting marketing-related administrative/academic support.

Headquarters / labs / establishment

• DMI HQ: Faridabad (Haryana)
• Branch/head office: Nagpur (Maharashtra)
• Central Agmark Laboratory: Nagpur (Maharashtra)
• Establishment timing (as discussed):
  • DMI is said to be built before independence
  • Timeline discussion included 1935
  • The talk also notes an act passed in 1937

Major legal basis (as explained)

• Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act / Grading and Marking Act
  • The talk links grading/marking to this legislative framework (referencing a 1937 act).
• Governance mechanics mentioned:
  • Institutions typically act after Parliament bills are passed
  • Ordinance route (President-approved) allows action before full parliamentary approval
  • Ordinance validity: ~6 months

DMI primary goal (stated)

• Integrated Development of Agriculture Marketing
• To safeguard interests of farmers and consumers

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3) FSSAI (Food Safety & Standards Authority of India)

Core concept

• FSSAI = Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
• Responsibilities include:
  • setting food safety standards
  • regulating compliance
  • conducting inspections/raids through food inspectors
  • ensuring food is safe and producers follow required standards

Licensing / registration rules

• Registration: basic requirement for smaller businesses
• Licensing: mandatory when turnover exceeds ₹12 lakh (as stated)
• Compliance rules also discussed for street food vendors (registration/licensing)

Legal/organizational structure

• Governed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
• The talk describes:
  • creation/establishment around 2006
  • later becoming operational after rules/notifications, mentioning 2011 as full operational start
• Autonomous statutory body
  • Described as autonomous and under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Leadership / headquarters

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Names mentioned:
  • Chairperson: Punya Salila Srivastava
  • CEO: Rajiv Panhani

Codex Alimentarius (international standards)

• Codex: international food standards developed with WHO and FAO
• India linkage:
  • Codex National Contact Point (NCCP) referenced as run by FSSAI
  • FSSAI hosts/acts as secretariat in India

Functions of FSSAI

1. Frame regulations/standards for food
2. License and register food businesses
3. Accredit food testing laboratories
   • labs must be accredited by FSSAI
4. Provide scientific advice and technical support to Central/State governments
5. Data collection & monitoring (examples mentioned):
   • consumption data
   • contamination/biological risk
   • pesticide residue
6. Import clearance / regulating imports (quarantine/clearance pathway mentioned)
7. Public food safety initiatives and enforcement

Key regulations under FSSAI mentioned (2011)

• Food Product Standards and Food Additives Regulations, 2011
• Packaging and Labelling Regulations, 2011
• Contaminants, Toxins and Residues Regulations, 2011

Trans fat regulation

• Progressive reduction mentioned:
  • earlier allowed 5%
  • later reduced to 3%
  • later reduced further to 2%
• Timeline references included years such as 2018/2020/2022 and “recent” updates.

Mandatory fortification (rice) — and timeline caveat

• Fortification described as:
  • not universally mandatory overall
  • mandatory for certain welfare scheme beneficiaries (rice fortification described as mixed at a specified grain ratio)
• Update claimed:
  • By February 2026, the mandatory requirement is said to be removed/changed for the welfare scheme context
  • Speaker emphasizes that the deadline matters

Major FSSAI campaigns/programs mentioned

• Eat Right India movement (started in 2018)
• Street Food Program under Eat Right
• Clean Street Food / Clean Street Food Program
• Eat Right Station (railway stations certified)
• Save Food / Share Food / Share Joy
• Perpetual license concept:
  • lifetime license with annual compliance review
• Unified India Organic logo
  • described as jointly done with APEDA and FSSAI
  • logo referenced as created in 2024

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4) NFDB (National Fisheries Development Board)

Core concept

• NFDB = National Fisheries Development Board
• Described as an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
• HQ: Hyderabad (Telangana)

Country contribution / rankings mentioned

• India described as:
  • the largest fish producing country
  • 8% of total world fish production (as stated)
  • second in aquaculture
  • third in fresh fish

Objectives / functions

1. Production enhancement
   • increase production using new technology
   • training and infrastructure
2. Sustainable management
   • ensure fisheries practices do not harm the environment
3. Modern R&D tools
   • research and development support
   • GM fish seed mentioned with a controversy reference
4. Infrastructure development
   • fisheries harbours, handling centres, cold chain, fish markets, etc.
5. Employment and women empowerment
   • improve livelihoods by enabling fisheries development
6. Coordination
   • coordinate across states and ensure implementation alignment

Related schemes and linkages mentioned

• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
  • NFDB is involved/implements under this umbrella
• FIDF (Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund)
  • fund channel mentioned
  • compared to NABARD-style funding logic
• Blue Revolution scheme
  • fisheries promotion; NFDB implementation linkage discussed
• Group Accident Insurance Scheme (GAIS)
  • insurance link mentioned for fishermen/fish farmers

Additional NFDB initiatives

• NSPPAD (National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases)
• Training & information portal:
  • CIFA (Central Institute of Fish Aquaculture)
  • online/training portal for farmers and modern aquaculture practices mentioned
  • collaboration reference included ICR-related wording

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Speakers / sources featured (as present in subtitles)

• Unidentified primary lecturer/speaker (main instructor; name not provided)
• No external organizations were presented as “speakers” (though WHO/FAO/Codex are discussed)
• Officials referenced:
  • Punya Salila Srivastava (Chairperson of FSSAI)
  • Rajiv Panhani (CEO of FSSAI)
  • Amit Shah (mentioned in a stated hypothetical “June 2026” context about inaugurating a NAFED digital e-auction portal)