New Delhi, India
March 10, 2008
Source:
Government of India
Following measures have been taken
to tackle problems of farmers adopting organic farming:
- In collaboration with Food
& Agriculture Organization (FAO) organic Package of
Practices for important crops for 5 States have been
prepared.
- Efforts are being made to
document available information on organic farming for
farmers.
- For promotion of marketing
and dissemination of information about organic products a
web based information portal is being launched, where
farmers can post their details or organic products for
marketing. Under NPOF efforts are being made to create
awareness for organic products.
- For facilitation of
certification at affordable cost, assistance is being
provided under the component of “Capacity Building through
Service Providers” for Internal Control System (ICS)
management & facilitation of certification. An assistance of
RS. 200/- per farmer is provided to the agencies for such
Service.
Important problems being faced by
the farmers adopting organic faring are non-availability of
package of practices for organic farming, fear for loss of yield
in the initial years, lack of well developed market for organic
produce and high cost of certification.
Almost all the States have requested the Union Government to
promote organic farming in their respective States and sent
proposals for releasing funds under National Project on Organic
Farming (NPOF) for capacity building through service providers,
training, demonstrations, market development, creation of
awareness etc. Centre has released over Rs. 48 crore to states
under NPOF so far.
As per the information received from Agricultural & Processed
Food Products Export Development Agency (APEDA), the total
certified organic production for the year 2007-08 was 5,85,970
MT. The quantity exported was 19, 456 MT valued at Rs. 308
crores (77 million US $).
This information was given in the Lok Sabha today by Shri Kanti
Lal Bhuria, Minister of State for Agriculture in a written
reply. |
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