ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

BY

Dr.P.Bhattacharyya

Director, NCOF, Ghaziabad

Additional Commissioner (INM)

DAC, Krishi Bhawan

New Delhi

ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

• Holistic production system, harmony with nature, Avoids chemical fertiliser, pesticides etc.

PURPOSE• Good soil, good food, good health, good

environment, good business• Movement from Farmers, NGOs etc.

ORGANIC STATUS

• Global : 24 mha (1.6% Ag. Area) : Nearly 130 countries produce organic product, Australia (10 mha) – lead country

• Indian: 37000-41000 ha (SOEL survey), (0.3% of Ag. Area)

: 2.50 million ha (APEDA) (Including 2.43 mha of forest area with wild herb & medicinal plants

Main ISSUES

• Standard

• Inspection, Certification, Accreditation

• Input

• Market (Export/Domestic)

STANDARD

: Globally 61 standards available

: Important Standard includes – IFOAM, CODEX, EU, Demeter, JAS, Naturland etc.

: National Standard in India under NPOP (2002) (General Principle, Recommendation, Standard, list (permitted/non-permitted)

: Mainly “process” Standard, cover – cultivation, Fertilisation, Pest/Disease management

: recently under review; Efforts for harmony with EU regulation.

CERTIFICATION Agencies in India

• 11 Nos.

• Ecocert (G) (Aurangabad), Skal (N) (Bangalore), IMO (S) (Bangalore), SGS (S) (Gurgaon), Naturland (G) (Gurgaon), Lacon (G) (Cochin), Indocert (S) (Cochin), APOF (Bangalore), ISCOP (Coimbatore), IRFT (Mumbai), Bioinspectra (S) (Cochin)

• Mandatory for export market

ACREDITATION

: Earlier 6 agencies: APEDA, Spice Board, Coffee Board, Coconut Board, Tea Board, Cashew nut Board

: Now one body : National Accreditation Board (APEDA, other Commodity Board and Ministry of Agriculture)

Limitation: i) Inspection performance not always good

ii) Certification cost is high

Organic InputAvailability

i) Live stock = 2.47 million ton

ii) Crop residues = 2.00 million ton

iii) Biogas slurry = 0.12 million ton

iv) Biofertiliser = 0.20 million ton

v) Green manure = 0.10 million ton

vi) City refuse = 0.68 million ton

vii) Others = 1.00 million ton

(Rural compost, Vermicompost, = 6.57 million ton

Ag. Waste)

Total = 7.0 million ton

Biopesticide = 1000 ton

Constraint: (a) No regulatory mechanism

(b) Response always not satisfactory.

Global Market (Export)

Current market =26 BN US$

Annual Growth =15-20%

USA =11-13 BN US $

Japan =350-450 MN US $

Europe =10-11 BN US $

India• 31 organic products currently

exported• No. of exporters = 69• Organic value (2003) estimated

= US $ 15.5 million

(710 million Indian Rupees)

Market Organic (Export) 2004

Kerala = 1232 Metric ton

West Bengal = 937 Metric ton

Karnataka = 476 Metric ton

Tamil Nadu = 471 Metric ton

Punjab = 541 Metric ton

Himachal Pradesh = 521 Metric ton

Maharashtra = 375 Metric ton

India Total = 6472 Metric ton

Export Product

Basmati rice, cotton, Mangopulp, Cashew nut, Sesame, Piniapple pulp, Honey, Walnut, spices, coffee, Tea, Peanut canned.

APEDA,

Future Export Demand

2003-04 15050 ton

2004-05 16930 ton

2005-06 19080 ton

2006-07 21523 ton

Exported to:

Europe: Netherland, UK, Germany, Belgium, Sweeden, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain

America: USA, Canada

Middle East: Saudi Arabia, UAE

Asia: Japan, Singapore

(Source Org. Marg = 2002)

[In 2002, from a total food production over 200 million ton, India produced only 14000 ton of organic food produces]

EAT ORGANIC LIVE ORGANICDREAM ORGANIC