In a room full of thinkers, policymakers, and practitioners, Mr. Manish Pande, Director and Head of the Project Analysis and Documentation (PAD) Division at the Quality Council of India (QCI), brought a refreshing, on-ground perspective to the discourse on agricultural diplomacy and sustainability. Speaking at a panel focused on agriculture, trade, and inclusion, Mr. Pande offered insights into how QCI is integrating quality frameworks into India’s agricultural practices to promote both domestic transformation and international competitiveness.
“The Quality Council of India operates under the overall purview of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, but as an autonomous body, we function with a singular mission—to embed quality across diverse sectors of the economy,” he began. These sectors, as he noted, range from agriculture to cybersecurity, drones, pharmaceuticals, and traditional health systems.
Focusing on agriculture, Mr. Pande emphasised QCI’s dual priorities: quality and compliance. “Compliance in any country is achieved through two means—regulation, which is enforced by law, and voluntary mechanisms that promote best practices. At QCI, our primary focus lies in strengthening the voluntary side,” he explained.
In practical terms, this means creating frameworks for Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) that reduce chemical overuse and minimise risks to both human health and the environment. “We heard previous speakers talk about contamination and pesticide overuse. What we do is devise systems that help optimise inputs while ensuring the produce doesn’t harm the human body,” he said.
Mr. Pande highlighted a landmark initiative by QCI: the development of the SAARC Good Agricultural Practices (SAARC-GAP) framework between 2016 and 2018. “This was an effort to bring quality to the fore of agriculture in the region. Our national adaptation—IndiaGAP—has now been benchmarked to GlobalG.A.P., which means Indian produce meets international quality standards,” he noted. This benchmarking, he stressed, is not just a technical milestone but a diplomatic one. “When we talk about diplomacy in agriculture, we aim to develop standards that are at par with other countries—or help other countries develop systems where quality is not a barrier to trade.”
The Quality Council’s international engagements extend further. QCI is a participant in the United Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards and has signed an MoU with the African Regional Standards Organisation. “We work with them to develop and benchmark quality systems so that their produce, like ours, can find global acceptance,” Mr. Pande said.
One of the more innovative aspects of QCI’s work relates to digital readiness and inclusion, particularly for rural and women-led enterprises. Mr. Pande spoke about the Digital Readiness Certificate—a program designed to digitally empower Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and small enterprises. “It’s a simple seven-step capacity-building process. Once they are digitally trained, they’re awarded a certificate that connects them to the national e-commerce grid,” he said.
This program, he explained, serves a dual purpose: it allows producers in remote or tribal regions to receive and process digital orders, and it enables aggregators—often based in urban centres—to engage directly with them. “It’s about connecting supply chains without forcing physical migration. We want people to prosper where they are, with access to correct markets,” he remarked.
In closing, Mr. Pande reflected on QCI’s broader mission. “As a practitioner, I can say that the Quality Council of India’s work in agriculture isn’t just about standards and frameworks. It’s about correcting supply chains, building digital bridges, and ensuring that livelihoods can flourish in place, sustainably and inclusively.”
With this vision, QCI is not only strengthening India’s agricultural backbone but also positioning the country as a credible partner in global agricultural trade and cooperation.
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