Although many States have made remarkable progress in organic farming, it has not yet managed to assume the centre-stage of Indian agriculture. It needs to overcome challenges at policy, commercial and infrastructural levels
Organic farming is fast assuming the new face of Indian agriculture. Educated and well-informed farmers with the aid ofkisan helplines — launched by NGOs and Government departments and assisted by appropriate technology, have made impressive progress in organic farming. Owing to the ill effects of chemical pesticides and an increased acceptance of organic food, biological farming is being widely regarded as the next phase of evolution in the history of agriculture.
The Union Government’s determined approach coupled with the focus of various State Governments has helped many States to achieve a remarkable progress in organic farming. For instance, Sikkim recently became the first Indian State to go wholly organic. Thanks to the efforts of the Sikkim Organic Mission, nearly 67 per cent of the population is engaged in agriculture on 50,000 hectares of land that was transformed to organic farming. This has inspired other States to follow suit and have announced detailed policies for organic farming.
Despite such heartening developments, it is surprising that organic farming has not yet managed to assume the centre-stage of Indian agriculture. This is due to a number of challenges faced by the agricultural sector at policy, commercial and infrastructural levels. These challenges, if left unresolved, can negatively impact the growth of organic farming in India besides affecting the quality of organic food produce. More importantly, it is crucial to address these issues to safeguard the financial security of the farming sector.
One of the foremost challenges is the rampant use of pesticides and chemicals for weeds. This has caused an evolution of the pest and weed species and thereby, made them increasingly immune to chemicals. This is the first hurdle in the transition from conventional farming to organic farming.
As organic farming prohibits synthetic pesticides, the vulnerable farmer is at the mercy of severe attacks from mutant pests. The situation becomes worse not only with the discovery of newer variants of pests and diseases that are reported but also because of the traditional methods of pest control that fail to contain the damage to the crops.
The difficulties of an organic farmer does not end with harvesting the produce. Severe lack of suitable infrastructure is proving to be the Achilles’ heel for organic farming and its produce. Maximum organic farming consists of fruit and vegetable production, which is highly perishable by nature.
The challenge posed by inadequate agricultural infrastructure and cold storage facilities translate to loss of produce due to spoilage. Additionally, poor road infrastructure especially in the hilly States, results in poor and delayed connectivity to farmer markets. This is made worse by exorbitant tariffs that are charged by refrigerated truck operators to ferry the produce.
The facilities of reasonably priced cold storages and transportation are crucial, especially for those who grow perishable products. For instance, it takes more than two days for the Sikkim Mandarin Oranges to be transported from the farms to the markets in Kolkata, where it is sold as Darjeeling Kamala lebu (Darjeeling oranges). Even a day’s delay can spoil the fruit and result in the loss of its unique taste.
When an agricultural product from Sikkim gets sold in the market with the tag of another place (mostly Darjeeling), the whole idea of turning Sikkim into an organic State and the hard labour put in by Sikkimese farmers in producing organic products is lost.
This highlights the importance of effective marketing plans. States such as Sikkim need to sharpen their marketing strategies and launch aggressive campaigns for building up a brand that can highlight the State’s organic produce.
Added to this, an overall improvement in road, storage and transportation infrastructure across the country can enable organic produce to reach markets on time thereby helping the consumers appreciate the value of fresh and chemical free organic food.
The Government must also recognise the fact that there is an acute shortage of effective and viable methods of organic pest control. To address the same, agriculture scientists and international research institutions need to be roped in to expedite research and development for organic herbicides that are integrated with traditional wisdom of pest control.
This can help the beleaguered organic farmers and provide them with effective herbicides that are as much potent as the chemical alternatives.
Pressure on the agricultural sector are greater than ever before. Thanks to the looming food scarcity, rampant use of pesticides and genetically modified crops. Organic farming seeks to restore the balance between nature and agriculture by addressing climate change, excess nitrogen flow and biodiversity loss. This helps to optimise the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.