Encouraging Organic Farming

NEW DELHI: Government is promoting organic farming across the country under various Central Sector Schemes viz. National Mission of Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), National Mission on Oil Seeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP), National Food Security Mission(NFSM) and Network Project on Organic Farming Under ICAR etc. The pattern of assistance is given below.

The Department has been focusing on creating awareness and educating the farmers about organic farming practices in the areas where clusters are formed, under PKVY. The scheme guidelines provide a sum of Rs.80,000 per cluster to undertake mobilization of farmers through exposure visits and training. The National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF), Ghaziabad, a unit under the department undertakes various extension and publicity activities like exhibitions, radio talks, TV programmes, distribution of literature on organic inputs/ organic farming etc to educate the farmers. NCOF is also publishing biannually Bio-Fertilizer Newsletter as well as quarterly Organic Farming Newsletter. In addition, various books on production and use of bio-fertilizers have been published in various languages for distribution to the farming community. Radio jingles on organic agriculture are broadcasted on 4 different FM Radio Stations including Delhi, Bangalore, Nagpur and Lucknow.

NCOF organizes 30 days certificate course on organic farming for skill development in organic agriculture sector for youth. It also conducts 10 days Refresher course for analysts under Fertilizer Control Order (FCO); 5 Days Trainers Training & 2 Days training for field functionaries and extension staff of the State Government.

NCOF has also been organizing farmers’ training and field demonstration programmes (FTFD) on organic farming since 2015-16 in various villages adopted by the Hon’ble Members of Parliament under “Sansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana” (SAGY), through its Regional Centres of Organic Farming (RCOFs). It has completed 300 no. of FTFD in 2015-16 and has scheduled 297 no. in the year 2016-17.

Cost of organic agriculture largely depends on on-farm generation of inputs. When on-farm organic inputs are used, cost of production per unit area is less than by 13% under organic agriculture than inorganic management. However, if organic inputs from outside the farm are purchased and utilized, the cost of production increases by about 15-20% depending on the nature of inputs used. Integrated Organic Farming System (IOFS) models being developed under NPOF promises to meet 70-80% of organic inputs within the farm thus reducing the market input cost considerably.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya in Rajya Sabha on Friday.