THE CONTRADICTION defies logic. Organic farming is highly productive, cost-effective and sustainable. Its multiple benefits on human health and the environment are also well established (see 'Natural option', Down To Earth, 16-28 February, 2022). Yet, data with the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare shows that as of 2018-19, only 2 per cent of the country's 140 million hectares (ha) of net sown area is under organic farming. A September 2020 report titled "State of Organic and Natural Farming in India: Challenges and Possibilities", published by Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), says only 1.3 per cent of 146 million farmers in the country practise it.
The Union and state governments have for two decades promoted organic farming through various schemes and policy incentives. This includes certification of organic produce through the National Programme for Organic Production or NPOP (since 2000) and the Participatory Guarantee System or PGS (since 2015). But CSE's recent analysis shows farmers still hesitate to take it up due to an ineffective marketing mechanism.
Santuram Netam, small farmer in Ulera village, Khadgaon district, Chhattisgarh, shifted to organic farming in 2012. “Even after diligently following organic practices and obtaining the PGS certification, I was unable to get better prices for my organic rice and black gram," he says. Netam has now reverted to conventional farming. Vinod Gajananad Kshirsagar, a farmer from Vivra village in Akola district, Maharashtra, faces similar obstacles. "Interstate retailers do not recognise my fruits and vegetables as organic because they are not aware of PGS certification and only trust NPOP.”
This story is from the March 16, 2022 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 16, 2022 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
