Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently called on all states to come forward to make natural farming a mass movement. However, not even three percent of Indian farmers are engaged in organic farming, which covers a small part of Indian agriculture.
The total number of land-owning farmers in the country is about Rs 15.11 crore, estimated based on projections from the 2015-16 Agricultural Census data to 2018-19. The Ministry of Agriculture told the Lok Sabha this month that 43,38,495 farmers have adopted organic farming in the states by 2020-21. Madhya Pradesh tops the list where the majority of farmers (7,73,902) are involved in organic farming, followed by Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Tiny land under organic cultivation
Approximately 38.09 lakh ha of area has undergone organic certification (as of July 2021). According to the 2016-17 land use statistics, the total geographic area of the country is 328.7 million hectares, of which 139.4 million hectares are the reported net planted area and 200.2 million hectares are the gross cultivated area with a cultivation intensity of 143.6%. . The net planted area amounts to 42.4 percent of the total geographic area. The net irrigated area is 68.6 million hectares. Considering these figures, the land dedicated to organic farming is minuscule.
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The Indian government is promoting the export of organic products in the global market. But exports are still very limited. According to the ministry, India ranks first in the number of organic farmers and ninth in terms of acreage under organic farming. Sikkim became the first state in the world to go fully organic and other states including Tripura and Uttarakhand have set similar targets, according to the government.
Market and government effort
The Ministry of Agriculture told the Lok Sabha in March this year that the demand for organic farming has increased in the domestic market in recent years. According to the joint study by Assocham-EY, the domestic organic market is growing by 17 per cent and the projected market demand for organic food is likely to exceed Rs 87.1 crore by 2021 from Rs 53.3 crore in 2020. 2016.
The Government has been promoting organic agriculture through specific schemes namely Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (Movcdner) since 2015-16. Both schemes emphasize comprehensive support for organic farmers, that is, from production to certification and marketing. Post-harvest management support, including processing, packaging and marketing, becomes an integral part of these schemes to encourage organic farmers.
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Under PKVY, farmers receive financial assistance of ₹50,000 per hectare/3 years, of which ₹31,000 (61%) is provided directly through DBT for biofertilizer inputs, biopesticides, organic manure, compost, vermicompost, extracts botanists etc.
Organic farming is considered a sustainable farming system as it excludes the use of synthetic inputs in agriculture. Crop residues, farmyard manure, enriched compost, vermicompost, oil cakes, biofertilizers, etc. are used for crop nutrient management. Pests and diseases are managed through ecological farming practices of crop rotation, trap crops, biopesticides such as neem-based formulations, biological control agents, mechanical traps, rancid seedbed, etc.