(IGP) Special Current Affairs Material for IAS (Pre) 2013 - PIB "Topic : Organic Farming in India"
(IGP) Special Current Affairs Material for IAS (Pre) 2013
Chapter: Gist of Press Information Bureau Articles
Topic: Organic Farming in India
Q. What do you mean by Organic farming?
It is normally defined as a system of farming without use of chemical inputs (fertilizers/insecticides etc.) and is primarily based on principal of use of natural on farm organic inputs (like farm yard manure, green manure, oil cakes, press mud etc.) and also natural biological pest control and plant protection measures to promote agro-economic system and soil biological activity.
Q. Which projects/ mission are involved in promoting Organic Farming?
Organic farming is being promoted under National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF), National Horticulture Mission (NHM) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).
Main components under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and National Horticulture Mission (NHM) to assist organic farming are financial assistance to States for adoption and certification and financial assistance to States for vermin-compost production.
Q. What is the growth picture of Organic Farming?
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Organic farming in India started receiving focused attention from 2004-05 when National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF) was launched. In 2004-05, area under organic farming was 42,000 hectares.
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By March 2010 area under farming had increased to 1.08 million hectares. In addition, 3.40 million hectares is wild forest harvest collection area. Thus total area under organic certification process by March, 2010 was 4.48 million hectares which is 25 fold increase in last 6 years. In cultivated organic land 7.56 lakh hectares is certified while 3.2 la k h hectare is under conversion.
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The States doing well in organic farming are Madhya Pradesh (4.40lakh hectares), Maharashtra (1.50 lakh hectares) and Orissa (95,000 hectares), having largest area under organic.
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Among crops cotton is the single largest crop accounting for nearly 40 percent of total area followed by rice, pulses, oilseeds and spices. India is the largest organic cotton grower in world, and accounts for 50 percent share of total world organic cotton production.
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Nine States have drafted organic farming policies. Out of these, four States viz; Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram have declared their intention to go 100 percent organic. Sikkim has already converted nearly 40 percent of its total cultivated area under organic and has set target to convert entire State to organic by 2015. Other States have also defined schemes to promote organic farming.
