by abhik roy, nikhil kumar octoberpressclip.nddb.coop/prc press clippings/the...according to the...
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down toearth. org. in
The government needs to midwife Indian agriculture to an organic revolution
fnstead of making it difficult for the organic farmers, government should devise methods to reduce the complexity of
the celiification process
By Abhik Roy, Nikhil Kumar Last Updated: Thursday 10 October 2019
Organic farming is native to India. However, since 1966, with the inception of the Green Revolution in India, it has taken a
backseat.
The transition from traditional agriculture to modern agriculture shifted the objective of farming. The need to change the
methods of farming to meet the demands of the growing population was inevitable. The emphasis was laid on intensive
agriculture practices which later proved detrimental to the environment.
The history of organic agriculture in India dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. Mostly, traditional forms of
agriculture prevailed in India. Farmers then practiced sustainable agriculture for their subsistence.
They used wide a variety of organic techniques including recycling all organic materials, the use of indigenous strains, crop
rotations and intercropping, incorporating legumes and biological pest control. Livestock rearing was an integral part of
farming.
The period of British colonisation saw extensive change. The farmers were compelled to grow mostly cash crops such as
cotton, indigo and opium for the external market. As a result, poverty increased and land fertility reduced.
After independence, the main aim of the government was to ensure food supplies to the growing population. Therefore, they
adopted new USA-developed high yielding varieties of wheat (Norin 10) and rice (IR-8) in the Green Revolution of the
19605.
These demanded high inputs of irrigation and chemicals. Yields increased substantially but there were costs to be paid.
Many small farmers who were unable to afford seeds and inputs, were driven off land while others found themselves caught
in a credit trap.
Repeated cultivation of similar type of crops resulted in deterioration of soil fertility and soil productivity. The physio-~ ~
chemical properties of soil like soil structure, soil aeration, infiltration and soil reaction started degrading gradually.
f errilizer (kg/ha)
I' . - . ..-....... -. .. -.--........... -.... -..•....... -... - .. -- .....•.. -.. -. -... -.... - -..
I I ,
lnigatl'd .. \Yea (~,·,o of agricultural ll"l'a)
35 ----- -- --------,.--. - '~- '- --~ ' ._--,._-- -------- - -_ . . --- .
10
I ::
,,-, "" I '"" \", ! _ ~~ ~ ~~~ . _ ~ __ ... __ . _ . _.~~. ____ . __ ._~ __ ... __ __ ~. ___ . __ .. I._ ... _ .. ___ ._ ... _ .. _ .. __ . __ .. ___ ... ______ ._ ... __ . __ . __ .. _ ._ .. _ . ...J
Increase in application offertilizers and irrigation after Green Revolution
According to the report of World of Organic Agriculture 2018, India is home to 30 per cent of the total organic producers in
the world, but accounts for just 2.59 per cent (1.5 million hectares) of the total organic cultivation area of 52.8 million ha.
Organic farming is certainly a benign mode of achieving sustainability, provided communities actively participate in
responsibilities, rationale and risks, to reap rights, receipts and recognition.
According to the available statistics, India ranked ninth in terms of the world's organic agriculture land and first in total
number of producers according to 2018 data.
As on March 31, 2018, the total area under the organic certification process in India is 3.56 million ha. This includes 1.78
million ha of cultivable area and another 1.78 million ha for wild harvest collection.
Among all the states, Madhya Pradesh has the largest area covered under organic certification followed by Rajasthan,
Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. In 2016, Sikkim achieved the remarkable distinction of converting its entire cultivable land
(more than 76,000 ha) to be under organic certification.
Siale-wise distribution of area under organic production
S Stafe Name lokll Total group Total area Area per Members % to total No groups members (ha) group (hc) per group ar&Q
(Farmers)
Madhy.a Pradesh Mahorashtro
:3 Uttorakhand 491
40200 37317 26560
46413 -----. 20012 19572
47 41 ._._------ -,---'- "- .--_.-19 36 4a 54
28 I f 12
i -UMar Pradesh -. "- a06 .. ---.- ' 36429 18238
· ·i5130 · 28 .... ·- ' -'- -'~--.-.'---.
5 Karnataka 538 6 Rajasthan '~ '110
C hhotiisgarh 338 8 ' Himachal Pradesh' 142 9 --.-. Gufarat - -·"-- 173 ------ -
10 - ArunaChaIPrade';ii ' ·----·1 ··--·- ... -' .. _._ ._- .
11 Jharkhand 12 Kerole 13 TClmilNcidu 14 Punjab
15 As~rn
16 West Bengal 17 Nagaland 18 Andhra Pradesh 19 Tripuro 20 ' OClisha
21 Jammu and Kashmir 22 Telong~no
23 Ma0ipur 24 Haryana
TOTAL
Source: PGS Indio Websile (9th Sepl. 2017)
Iso 247 2Hj'
119 105 34
79 61 .
21
14 i38
57 11
6211
3044
4879 ' 1247
707 226i '
643 914 871
358 80
225635
isijo '28 8612 20 6004 18 4971 35
. ' - - -- -~- ---, .-.. -- - _ .. _-3571 20 --.- -~-~ ---~. ----
i~ _ 3196 2824 13 2643" ..
... 2643' · "
.. 2526 21 2013 19 1265 37 1215 15 .. ' 1000 16
770 - i7
692 49 600 4
282 5 106 10
166534 27
34
34 ---.. --
42 22 38
49 14 17
··-is .. 26 46 37'
9 37
31 65
6 6 7
36
9
9 5 4
3
1 0.5 0.4 0.4
0.2 0.1 100'
Production
[n 20 [7-18, India produced around 1.70 million million tonnes (MT) of certified organic products which includes all
varieties of food products namely oi[seeds, sugarcane, cereals and millets , cotton, pulses, medicinal plants, tea, fruits,
spices, dry-fruits, vegetables and coffee. The production was not only [i!TIited to the edible sector but also produced organic
cotton-fibre and functional food products.
Area under organic certification in India (2015-16) Tolal oreo under orgOrlic c;eriihc;o lion
Shol'" of !orGsl erGel ond wildoreu
Prodllcllon of certlfieci organic producls
Exports
DomosTic
Source: APEDA 20 I 7
14,$ lokh hel
I J,4 lokh tom
2.64 lakn tons
10.76 lokt) tonnes
Among Indian states, Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and
Rajasthan. In terms of commodities, oilseeds are the single largest category followed by sugar crops, cereals and millets,
fibre crops, pulses, medicinal and aromatic plants and spices and condiments.
Export
The total volume of export during 2017-18 was 4.58 [akh MT. The organic food export was around Rs 3,458.48 crore
($515.44 million). Organic products are exported to the United States, European Union, Canada, Switzerland, Austra[ia,
Israe[ , South Korea, Vietnam, New Zealand and Japan.
[n terms of export value realisation, oilseeds (47.6 per cent) lead among organic products, followed by cereals and millets
(10.4 per cent), plantation crop products such as tea and coffee (8.96 per cent), dry fruits (8.88 per cent), spices and
condiments (7.76 per cent) and others.
SP!C[S&COND IMENTS
8%
TEA&COFFEE 9%
10%
Share of different commodities in export
Compound Annual Growth Rate of the organic market in India is growing at the rate of25 per cent. The current market size
is Rs 4,000 crore, which is expected to touch Rs 10,000-12,000 crore by 2020 .
Though India has the highest number of farmers engaged in organic farming, it accounts for less than one per cent of the
global organic market.
According to the TechSci Research Report, the global organic food market stood at $110.25 billion in 2016. The forecast
for gross domestic product growth in the financial year 2019 is predicted to be more than sev.en per cent by the Reserve
Bank of India.
This will certainly improve the performance of different industries like organic food, pharmaceuticals and FMCG (Fast
Moving Consumer Goods).
According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, the demand for Indian organic
food products is constantly on the rise worldwide.
India exported organic products worth $310 million in the financial year 2016-17, which increased to $515 million in 2017-
18 (approximately 66 per cent). The total volume of export increased by 39 per cent and reached 4.58 lakh tonnes in 2017-
18.
Problems and solutions
I. A study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India or Assocham and global consultancy firm, Ernst
and Young revealed that most organic farmers are struggling due to poor policy measures, rising input costs and limited
market
Another study conducted by the Consumer Unity and Trust Society in 2015 stated that 98 per cent farmers of Rajasthan are
aware of ecological hazards of conventional chemical farming but fear of decline in production and unavailability of
organic inputs in the market discourage them from switching to organic farming.
According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, productivity on an average dips by 6.7 per cent in the first year
during transition. The Report on Doubling Farmers' Income by the Ashok Dalwai Committee supports the claim of drop in
yields when embracing organic - up to 30 per cent It also states that a decade is required to attain the pre-conversion yield
level.
To aid the farmers during the conversion period, government should not only provide financial help but also favourable
policies as well as a part of the inputs should be made available. This will sort the problem of shortage of inp~ts and will
encourage farmers to choose organic farming.
2. Even after the produce reaches the markets, consumers find them expensive and di scouraging. If a consumer switches to
organic food, he or she has to bear an add itional expenditure of Rs I ,200-Rs 1,500 per month, according to the Assocham
repo rt.
A wareness of consumers to the benefits of consumil)g organic products is very important in boosting up the organic market
in India. The consumers must be made aware of the amount of toxic chemicals they consume when they use products of
conventional farming.
A chaIt estimating the amount of pesticides intake per person per day is given below. The products of organic farming may
be costly but are 100 per cent safe.
Average Dietary Intake of Pesticide Residue
Countries Intake (mg day' persotr')
USA
EUlQpe
UK
Canada
Austra lia
G e l1l1ony
lod lel
7.6
15b O
120
133
20 .0
11.9.0 .
362.0 (VL'9olofla n)
356.0 ( Nan-V"'-3GIOflOl')
3. The report also mentioned the concern of high cost post-harvest handling of organic foods because of mandatory
segregation of organic and conventional produce. The post-harvest losses in agricultural products are also high.
Post-harvest losses of India's major agricultural produce Commodity/Crop Overall PcSWiorvesl Monetary value 01 !he loss
Losses ( 'lI.) (INR In crores)
MIlk
C ereals
Pulses
Qllseocls
om
6.36-8.41
3.01>-996
FIlII I, 1\ Ve9<>tal)le S 4,;,1}- J 568
.1409
20698
J877
8278
40811
The PGS (Participatory Guarantee System) groups should come forward to form co-operatives at the local level to solve the
problems of storage and post-harvest handling. This will not only minimise the cost of transportation but also decrease the
post-harvest losses (of perishable items).
4. The steps taken by the government have not been adequate enough to address the setbacks of the Paramparagat Krishi
Vika~ Yojana (PKVY). The Centre's free certification programme for organ ic farmers is an example for the same.
A 2018 report on the implementation of PKVY highlights that all states, except Tripura, Odisha and Karnataka, have failed
to utilise even 50 per cent of their funds under the scheme. While the Centre has increased al location fo r the scheme by 44
per cent fo r the current year, corrective measures are needed to ensure that the sates become responsible and contribute
towards 'Organic India' .
Even when the farmers are struggling to fi nd a sustainable price for their produce, the existing certification process is not
only complicated but also expens ive. On the other hand, the conventional farmers use toxic substances without any
restrictions.
I nstead of making it difficult for the o rganic farmers, government should devise methods to redu<;e the complexity of the
ce rti fication process. By g iving a free hand to organic farmers and making certain laws to restrict chemical use by the
conventional farmers, government can bring about an organic revolution in India.
An embargo should be made on toxic chemicals used by conventional farmers which deteriorate environment and laws
should be made so that these fanners need to specify the amount and concentration applied on their produce.
Conclusion
It is high time that our country reverts back to organic farming. This will not only help to ameliorate the ecosystem but also
to improve human health.
The organic market in India has a huge potential and has been showing some very promising results during the recent years .
The conversion period may appear difficult for both the farmers and the consumers, but in the long run, thi s will prove
worth struggling for.
Adequate po li cy measures by the government and dedicated effort at local level would ensure a toxic-free future for our
country.
Abhik Roy and Nikhil Kumar are students at the Naini Agriculture Institute in Prayagraj. Views expressed are the authors '
own and don't necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth