Publish Date : 02.09.20

India ranks first in number of organic farmers, 9th in area

ATM News Network, New Delhi, 17 August 2020: India ranks first in the number of organic farmers and ninth in terms of area under organic farming. Sikkim became the first state in the world to become fully organic and other States including Tripura and Uttarakhand have set similar targets, according to an official statement. With the aim of assisting farmers to adopt organic farming and improve remunerations due to premium prices, two dedicated programs namely Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOCVD) and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) were launched in 2015 to encourage chemical-free farming, said Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.

The commodities with the highest potential include ginger, turmeric, black rice, spices, Nutri cereals, pineapples, medicinal plants, buckwheat, bamboo shoots, etc. When the pandemic struck India, access to quality food was as high on priority for the country as much as health. States and clusters innovated and converted this crisis into an opportunity. The philosophy underlying organic farming of integration of the elements – soil, water, microbes, and ‘waste’ products, forestry, and agriculture is the correct recipe for sustainable use of natural resources, which are coming under severe stress due to ever-increasing requirement of food and feedstock for agri-based industry.