AGMARK is the quality certification mark for agricultural produce in India. The word joins “Ag” for agriculture and “mark” for a certification mark, so it is often read as “Agricultural Mark”. It is the “grade designation mark” under the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937, administered by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. An AGMARK label means an authorised packer has tested the product against a government-notified grade standard and packed it under DMI supervision. For most products AGMARK is voluntary.
AGMARK at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full form | Ag (agriculture) + mark; often read as “Agricultural Mark” |
| Law | Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937 (Act 1 of 1937) |
| General rules | General Grading and Marking Rules, 1988, amended most recently by the General Grading and Marking (Amendment) Rules, 2024 (G.S.R. 371(E), 5 July 2024) |
| Administering body | Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI), headed by the Agricultural Marketing Adviser to the Government of India, head office in Faridabad |
| Ministry | Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare) |
| Apex laboratory | Central Agmark Laboratory, Nagpur, supported by Regional Agmark Laboratories |
| Online portal | AGMARK Online (CAs, printing permissions, lab and chemist approvals) |
Do not confuse AGMARK with Agmarknet, DMI’s market price portal.
What the AGMARK mark means
Section 3 of the Act lets the Central Government fix grade designations for scheduled articles, define the quality each grade stands for, and prescribe a mark for each grade. An AGMARK mark tells the buyer three things:
- the product meets a published grade standard set out in that commodity’s rules;
- the packer is authorised. Only a holder of a Certificate of Authorisation (CA) may apply the mark, and only to the commodities and at the premises named in the CA;
- the lot was tested in the packer’s own approved laboratory, a State Grading Laboratory, or an approved commercial or cooperative laboratory.
It does not mean every product of the brand is graded, and it does not replace the FSSAI licence.
Is AGMARK mandatory?
For most products, no. Two routes can make it compulsory.
1. FSSAI regulations. The Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 required blended edible vegetable oil and fat spread to carry the AGMARK mark. The FSS (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) First Amendment Regulations, 2024, notified by FSSAI on 17 October 2024, deleted the words “AGMARK certification mark bearing” from those clauses. It also allowed Multi-Source Edible Oil in packs of up to 15 litres. Older articles calling AGMARK mandatory for blended oils are out of date.
2. Section 5B of the 1937 Act. The Central Government can declare, by notification and for a specified area, that a scheduled article must not be sold unless it carries the grade designation mark.
Even where the law does not demand it, buyers and some export trades may ask for AGMARK-graded goods.
AGMARK products list
DMI’s grades and standards page puts AGMARK commodity coverage at 248 commodities. They fall into these broad groups:
| Group | Examples of commodities with AGMARK grade standards |
|---|---|
| Cereals, pulses and their products | Rice, basmati rice, black scented rice, non-basmati aromatic rice, wheat atta, suji, maida, besan, millets, pulses, poha, sattu, named flours, vermicelli and pasta |
| Oils and fats | Vegetable oils, Multi-Source Edible Oils, fat spread, vanaspati, vegetable oil cakes, essential oils |
| Spices and condiments | Whole and ground spices, saffron, curry powder, mixed masala powder, compounded asafoetida, nutmeg, mace, poppy seeds |
| Livestock and dairy | Ghee, creamery butter, table eggs, raw meat (chilled or frozen), wool, goat hair, hides, skins, animal casings |
| Fruits, vegetables and dried fruit | Fresh fruits and vegetables, seed potato, raisins, dates, dried figs, makhana, dried mushrooms |
| Edible nuts | Almond kernels, cashew kernels, groundnuts, walnuts, arecanuts, pine nuts (chilgoza), coconut |
| Fibre crops | Cotton, jute, sann hemp, aloe fibre, palmyra fibre |
| Miscellaneous | Honey, jaggery (gur), isabgol husk, guar gum, lac, tobacco, tendu leaf, tapioca sago, cocoa powder, senna leaves |
Recent rules include Multi Source Edible Oils, Named Flours, Poha and Dried Figs (2023) and Ghee, Honey, Millets and Non-Basmati Aromatic Rice (2024). Always grade against the current rule on the DMI page, not an older compendium.
Domestic grading vs export grading
| Point | Domestic trade | Export trade |
|---|---|---|
| Application form | Proforma A with particulars in A-1 | Proforma F with particulars in F-1 |
| Where to apply | DMI regional or sub-office, or the State authority if grading through a State Grading Laboratory | Nearest DMI office |
| Extra documents | FSSAI licence or registration for food commodities | APEDA membership, APEDA-recognised pack house document, DGFT IEC |
| Certificate per consignment | Not required; packs carry the mark | Each export consignment needs a Certificate of Agmark Grading (Rule 15) |
DMI also issues export instructions for onions, grapes and pomegranates, and guidelines for green chillies and curry leaves to the EU, graded through DMI-approved export laboratories.
AGMARK certification process
Step 1: Check the grade standard
Confirm your product can meet a grade in the commodity’s rules, including the prescribed pack sizes and packing (Rule 11).
Step 2: Arrange a laboratory
You need either your own laboratory or a consent letter (Form A-3) from an approved State Grading Laboratory, commercial, cooperative or association laboratory. DMI’s guidelines make an own laboratory compulsory for ghee, fat spread and blended edible vegetable oils. Your chemist is trained at a Regional Agmark Laboratory, normally for four weeks, and must be approved by DMI.
Step 3: Apply for a Certificate of Authorisation
Apply online through AGMARK Online. DMI’s grades page also links to the National Single Window System. The domestic CA checklist lists:
- application in Proforma A with details in A-1, plus constitution documents and KYC;
- a dimensioned sketch of the premises, and the owner’s consent if rented;
- a Form A-2 declaration on premises, trade brand label (TBL) ownership, TBL use only on graded goods, and food-grade packing;
- a specimen TBL for each commodity;
- workers’ medical fitness certificates and a machinery list;
- the lab equipment list (own lab) or lab consent letter;
- FSSAI licence or registration for food commodities;
- fee payment on Bharatkosh.
Step 4: Inspection and grant
A DMI officer inspects the premises and laboratory. DMI’s CA guidelines set a four-week time limit from a complete application. The CA names the commodities, premises, validity, laboratory and TBL.
Step 5: Grade, mark and pack
The approved chemist grades each lot before marking. Rule 11(2) requires each package to show the CA number, lot or batch number, date and place of packing and net weight, with the grade designation mark.
AGMARK labels and replica printing
The rules allow two forms of the AGMARK logo:
- AGMARK labels. These are issued by DMI as tie-on, paste-on or benderol labels. Each carries a series and serial number (Rule 10(1)).
- AGMARK replica. The mark is printed directly on the container. Rule 2(d) describes it as the prescribed design with the word “AGMARK” and the CA number. A packer needs specific permission to use the replica. The exception is a packer who has held a CA for at least two years with satisfactory grading and has used at least 50,000 labels a year (Rule 10(3)).
Only a DMI-permitted printing press may print replica-bearing containers (Rule 10(4)). The printing press checklist requires a CA holder’s consent letter and security for dies and printed stock.
Fees, validity and renewal
| Item | Official position |
|---|---|
| CA application fee | ₹10,000 paid on Bharatkosh, per DMI’s domestic and export CA checklists |
| Grading charges | Charged on the quantity graded, at commodity-wise rates in DMI’s grading charges schedule, for example ₹0.20 per 10 kg for rice |
| Validity | Five years from the date of issue (Rule 4(1)) |
| Renewal | Apply at least 30 days before expiry; not accepted more than 30 days after expiry. Renewed for five years at a time on grading performance; a timely applicant may keep grading meanwhile (Rule 4) |
Chemist training, printing permissions and lab approvals carry separate fees; confirm current amounts with DMI.
Penalties for misuse
The 1937 Act penalises unauthorised marking (Section 4), counterfeiting the mark or holding dies to do so (Section 5), selling misgraded articles (Section 5A) and selling unmarked goods where grading has been made compulsory (Section 5B). After the Act was amended by the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, the General Grading and Marking (Amendment) Rules, 2024 set up adjudication: an Adjudicating Officer holds an inquiry and must pass a final order within 90 days of the first hearing. Appeals go to the Agricultural Marketing Adviser within 30 days, with a fee of 10% of the penalty or at least ₹2,000.
How to identify a genuine AGMARK product
- Look for the complete mark: the AGMARK insignia with a grade designation, plus a label serial number or, on a replica, the CA number.
- Read the pack details: CA number, lot or batch, date and place of packing, net weight. Anything missing is a warning sign.
- Check the grade exists for that commodity in its rules.
- Check the packer against DMI’s published list of domestic CA holders, or ask the nearest DMI office.
- Report misuse to DMI, whose officers have entry, search and seizure powers under Sections 3A and 3B.
AGMARK vs ISI vs FSSAI
| Point | AGMARK | ISI mark | FSSAI |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Grade and quality of agricultural produce | Conformity of industrial and consumer products to an Indian Standard | Food safety of all food businesses |
| Law | Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937 | BIS Act, 2016 | Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 |
| Authority | DMI, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare | Bureau of Indian Standards, Ministry of Consumer Affairs | Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare |
| Mandatory? | Voluntary for most products | Voluntary unless notified by a Quality Control Order | Licence or registration compulsory for every food business |
| Number on pack | CA number (replica) or label serial number | CM/L licence number with the IS number | FSSAI licence or registration number |
| Typical products | Ghee, honey, spices, pulses, edible oils, atta | Cement, steel, appliances, helmets, pressure cookers | All packaged and served food |
A product can carry more than one: AGMARK ghee also shows an FSSAI licence number. For background on the ISI mark, see ISI mark full form and meaning and what BIS certification is.
How Aaditech can help
Aaditech can help you work out whether AGMARK is worth pursuing for your product and buyers. We can then prepare the Certificate of Authorisation application and documents and coordinate with DMI through to grant. See our AGMARK certification service or contact us to discuss your commodity.