The Hindu Business Line : SEA gets ISO certification

EVEN as the usually staid oilseeds processing industry is struggling to cope with a series of internal and external challenges, the country's premier association for the vegetable oil industry and trade, Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA), has gone ahead with putting quality systems in place so as to further enhance and expand its service to members.

While there are over 40 associations in the country's burgeoning oilseeds and vegetable oils sector (annual turnover Rs 75,000 crore and growing at 5 per cent per annum), SEA is the first to have been accorded the Quality Standard ISO 9001:2000 certification. The quality seal has been given by Orion Registrar Inc of the US with ANSI-RAB, USA as well as RvA of the Netherlands.

Founded in 1963, SEA today boasts of membership strength of over 800 comprising 350 solvent extraction plants, 100 oil mills, 200 vegetable oil refineries, 40 vanaspati producers and 50 compound feed manufacturers.

The Ministry of Agriculture has recognised SEA as a NGO (non-Government organisation) and the Commerce Ministry as a trade promotion organisation.

In the global vegetable oil market too, SEA has tied-up with international organizations for trade promotion. Appropriately, SEA will host the next International Seed Crushers Association meeting (74th IASC World Congress) in January 2005 in Mumbai.

More Stories on : Oilseeds & Edible Oil | Standards & Benchmarks

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