GoI plans to establish the National Test House as the primary certification body for all Indian products

It is anticipated that the setup and running of NTH labs will be finished in the initial 125 days of the newly elected government.

The Indian government is focused on making the National Test House (NTH) the primary certification body for Indian products in order to tackle export order rejections, as reported by Mint. The NTH plans to conduct a number of labs throughout the country in order to verify that products like food and organic items adhere to international standards.

It aims to enhance the reliability and credibility of product quality evaluations in India, allowing agencies to ask for NTH testing certificates for products of concern. The NTH labs will certify organic food products for both local and international markets.

At present, Bureau of Indian Standards, Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) are the agencies responsible for certifying product samples, but there is no central authority for conducting re-tests if a sample fails. The upcoming NTH labs will adhere to international testing agency guidelines in order to streamline the export process. Moreover, customers also have the option to re-test their items at NTH labs.

The NTH, with a history spanning a hundred years, is expanding its testing to encompass items such as drones and is also engaged in assessing crop damage information for agricultural insurance programs. The NTH labs are projected to be fully established and running in the initial 125 days of the new government, prioritising regions critical for certification requirements.