In order to promote organic farming in the State, the Gujarat Government came out with detailed organic farming policy on Sunday. With this development it has become the ninth State in the country to unveil organic farming policy.
The other eight States, which have declared their organic farming policy, include Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Mizoram, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The process is underway to formulate a policy in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Goa. The policy was announced in the presence of 300 stakeholders with the decision to first implement it in the tribal areas.
“We are committed to promote organic farming and has allocated Rs10 crore in the current financial year for the purpose,” said BR Shah, Managing Director of Gujarat Organic Product Certification Agency and Director of the State Horticulture Department while releasing the policy.
The State Government will initially focus on tribal areas and help farmers and assist them with certification, marketing as well as brand building, said Shah during a function in which as many as 150 agriculture scientists from the four State agriculture universities, 250 farmers including, including over 100 organic farmers, and representatives of 50 NGOs.
According to him, the State Government would create a special organic cell under the Department of Agriculture to implement the policy and Gujarat Organic Farming Committee will be constituted to monitor the implementation of the policy.
The policy was framed by the direct involvement of those who matter at the grassroots instead of Ministers and bureaucrats forcing it on the people, said Kapil Shah, coordinator of All Gujarat Organic Farming Community while reacting on the first organic farming policy of the State.
A unique process of public consultation was carried out involving more than 1,200 people across seven locations in the State, including more than 650 farmers, 130 scientists and 80 women to frame the policy.
“This organic policy is the need of the hour. Gujarat is a symbol of progressiveness and it is important the State initiates pioneering work in this area,” said Devinder Sharma, agriculture and food policy expert during the function.
Applauding the State Government’s firm stance against field trials of genetically modified food crops, he said that there is no reason to allow field trials of non-food GM crops. These are equally dangerous to the ecology and the agricultural sovereignty of the country, said Sharma, adding that the Gujarat Government needs to conduct a land audit and make the State’s water policy farmer-friendly.