Organic farming was undertaken in 18,500 hectares of land in three years from 2011 to 2014 and a total of 17,975 farmers across 17 districts were benefitted, informed Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy in the State Assembly on Wednesday. In a written reply to a question put by Chiranjib Biswal, the Minister said a total of 16,597 farmers have been given Soil Heal Card to take up organic farming.
The districts in which organic farming was taken up are Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Balangir, Koraput, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Puri, Ganjam, Khordha, Boudh, Jajpur and Deogarh.
Maharathy further informed that organic farmers are being provided with pesticides like Neem oil, Trichoderma and Pseudomonas certified by VOCA, OSOCA, Ecocert and Indocert.
The State Horticulture Directorate introduced organic farming programme in horticulture in 2011-12. The Agricultural Financial Corporation, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar Regional Cooperative Society, besides several other agencies are providing services to farmers of the State to take up organic farming, he said.
Maharaty said organic farming is now passing through a conversion period. As fruits and vegetables produced through the farming are being sold in locals markets, the Government has not assessed quantum of production yet, he informed.