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The government needs to midwife Indian agriculture to an organic revolution

fnstead of making it difficult for the organic farmers, government should devise methods to reduce the complexity of

the celiification process

By Abhik Roy, Nikhil Kumar Last Updated: Thursday 10 October 2019

Organic farming is native to India. However, since 1966, with the inception of the Green Revolution in India, it has taken a

backseat.

The transition from traditional agriculture to modern agriculture shifted the objective of farming. The need to change the

methods of farming to meet the demands of the growing population was inevitable. The emphasis was laid on intensive

agriculture practices which later proved detrimental to the environment.

The history of organic agriculture in India dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. Mostly, traditional forms of

agriculture prevailed in India. Farmers then practiced sustainable agriculture for their subsistence.

They used wide a variety of organic techniques including recycling all organic materials, the use of indigenous strains, crop

rotations and intercropping, incorporating legumes and biological pest control. Livestock rearing was an integral part of

farming.

The period of British colonisation saw extensive change. The farmers were compelled to grow mostly cash crops such as

cotton, indigo and opium for the external market. As a result, poverty increased and land fertility reduced.

After independence, the main aim of the government was to ensure food supplies to the growing population. Therefore, they

adopted new USA-developed high yielding varieties of wheat (Norin 10) and rice (IR-8) in the Green Revolution of the

19605.

These demanded high inputs of irrigation and chemicals. Yields increased substantially but there were costs to be paid.

Many small farmers who were unable to afford seeds and inputs, were driven off land while others found themselves caught

in a credit trap.

Repeated cultivation of similar type of crops resulted in deterioration of soil fertility and soil productivity. The physio-~ ~

chemical properties of soil like soil structure, soil aeration, infiltration and soil reaction started degrading gradually.

f errilizer (kg/ha)

I' . - . ..-....... -. .. -.--........... -.... -..•....... -... - .. -- .....•.. -.. -. -... -.... - -..

I I ,

lnigatl'd .. \Yea (~,·,o of agricultural ll"l'a)

35 ----- -- --------,.--. - '~- '- --~ ' ._--,._-- -------- - -_ . . --- .

10

I ::

,,-, "" I '"" \", ! _ ~~ ~ ~~~ . _ ~ __ ... __ . _ . _.~~. ____ . __ ._~ __ ... __ __ ~. ___ . __ .. I._ ... _ .. ___ ._ ... _ .. _ .. __ . __ .. ___ ... ______ ._ ... __ . __ . __ .. _ ._ .. _ . ...J

Increase in application offertilizers and irrigation after Green Revolution

According to the report of World of Organic Agriculture 2018, India is home to 30 per cent of the total organic producers in

the world, but accounts for just 2.59 per cent (1.5 million hectares) of the total organic cultivation area of 52.8 million ha.

Organic farming is certainly a benign mode of achieving sustainability, provided communities actively participate in

responsibilities, rationale and risks, to reap rights, receipts and recognition.

According to the available statistics, India ranked ninth in terms of the world's organic agriculture land and first in total

number of producers according to 2018 data.

As on March 31, 2018, the total area under the organic certification process in India is 3.56 million ha. This includes 1.78

million ha of cultivable area and another 1.78 million ha for wild harvest collection.

Among all the states, Madhya Pradesh has the largest area covered under organic certification followed by Rajasthan,

Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. In 2016, Sikkim achieved the remarkable distinction of converting its entire cultivable land

(more than 76,000 ha) to be under organic certification.

Siale-wise distribution of area under organic production

S Stafe Name lokll Total group Total area Area per Members % to total No groups members (ha) group (hc) per group ar&Q

(Farmers)

Madhy.a Pradesh Mahorashtro

:3 Uttorakhand 491

40200 37317 26560

46413 -----. 20012 19572

47 41 ._._------ -,---'- "- .--_.-19 36 4a 54

28 I f 12

i -UMar Pradesh -. "- a06 .. ---.- ' 36429 18238

· ·i5130 · 28 .... ·- ' -'- -'~--.-.'---.

5 Karnataka 538 6 Rajasthan '~ '110

C hhotiisgarh 338 8 ' Himachal Pradesh' 142 9 --.-. Gufarat - -·"-- 173 ------ -

10 - ArunaChaIPrade';ii ' ·----·1 ··--·- ... -' .. _._ ._- .

11 Jharkhand 12 Kerole 13 TClmilNcidu 14 Punjab

15 As~rn

16 West Bengal 17 Nagaland 18 Andhra Pradesh 19 Tripuro 20 ' OClisha

21 Jammu and Kashmir 22 Telong~no

23 Ma0ipur 24 Haryana

TOTAL

Source: PGS Indio Websile (9th Sepl. 2017)

Iso 247 2Hj'

119 105 34

79 61 .

21

14 i38

57 11

6211

3044

4879 ' 1247

707 226i '

643 914 871

358 80

225635

isijo '28 8612 20 6004 18 4971 35

. ' - - -- -~- ---, .-.. -- - _ .. _-3571 20 --.- -~-~ ---~. ----

i~ _ 3196 2824 13 2643" ..

... 2643' · "

.. 2526 21 2013 19 1265 37 1215 15 .. ' 1000 16

770 - i7

692 49 600 4

282 5 106 10

166534 27

34

34 ---.. --

42 22 38

49 14 17

··-is .. 26 46 37'

9 37

31 65

6 6 7

36

9

9 5 4

3

1 0.5 0.4 0.4

0.2 0.1 100'

Production

[n 20 [7-18, India produced around 1.70 million million tonnes (MT) of certified organic products which includes all

varieties of food products namely oi[seeds, sugarcane, cereals and millets , cotton, pulses, medicinal plants, tea, fruits,

spices, dry-fruits, vegetables and coffee. The production was not only [i!TIited to the edible sector but also produced organic

cotton-fibre and functional food products.

Area under organic certification in India (2015-16) Tolal oreo under orgOrlic c;eriihc;o lion

Shol'" of !orGsl erGel ond wildoreu

Prodllcllon of certlfieci organic producls

Exports

DomosTic

Source: APEDA 20 I 7

14,$ lokh hel

I J,4 lokh tom

2.64 lakn tons

10.76 lokt) tonnes

Among Indian states, Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and

Rajasthan. In terms of commodities, oilseeds are the single largest category followed by sugar crops, cereals and millets,

fibre crops, pulses, medicinal and aromatic plants and spices and condiments.

Export

The total volume of export during 2017-18 was 4.58 [akh MT. The organic food export was around Rs 3,458.48 crore

($515.44 million). Organic products are exported to the United States, European Union, Canada, Switzerland, Austra[ia,

Israe[ , South Korea, Vietnam, New Zealand and Japan.

[n terms of export value realisation, oilseeds (47.6 per cent) lead among organic products, followed by cereals and millets

(10.4 per cent), plantation crop products such as tea and coffee (8.96 per cent), dry fruits (8.88 per cent), spices and

condiments (7.76 per cent) and others.

SP!C[S&COND IMENTS

8%

TEA&COFFEE 9%

10%

Share of different commodities in export

Compound Annual Growth Rate of the organic market in India is growing at the rate of25 per cent. The current market size

is Rs 4,000 crore, which is expected to touch Rs 10,000-12,000 crore by 2020 .

Though India has the highest number of farmers engaged in organic farming, it accounts for less than one per cent of the

global organic market.

According to the TechSci Research Report, the global organic food market stood at $110.25 billion in 2016. The forecast

for gross domestic product growth in the financial year 2019 is predicted to be more than sev.en per cent by the Reserve

Bank of India.

This will certainly improve the performance of different industries like organic food, pharmaceuticals and FMCG (Fast

Moving Consumer Goods).

According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, the demand for Indian organic

food products is constantly on the rise worldwide.

India exported organic products worth $310 million in the financial year 2016-17, which increased to $515 million in 2017-

18 (approximately 66 per cent). The total volume of export increased by 39 per cent and reached 4.58 lakh tonnes in 2017-

18.

Problems and solutions

I. A study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India or Assocham and global consultancy firm, Ernst

and Young revealed that most organic farmers are struggling due to poor policy measures, rising input costs and limited

market

Another study conducted by the Consumer Unity and Trust Society in 2015 stated that 98 per cent farmers of Rajasthan are

aware of ecological hazards of conventional chemical farming but fear of decline in production and unavailability of

organic inputs in the market discourage them from switching to organic farming.

According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, productivity on an average dips by 6.7 per cent in the first year

during transition. The Report on Doubling Farmers' Income by the Ashok Dalwai Committee supports the claim of drop in

yields when embracing organic - up to 30 per cent It also states that a decade is required to attain the pre-conversion yield

level.

To aid the farmers during the conversion period, government should not only provide financial help but also favourable

policies as well as a part of the inputs should be made available. This will sort the problem of shortage of inp~ts and will

encourage farmers to choose organic farming.

2. Even after the produce reaches the markets, consumers find them expensive and di scouraging. If a consumer switches to

organic food, he or she has to bear an add itional expenditure of Rs I ,200-Rs 1,500 per month, according to the Assocham

repo rt.

A wareness of consumers to the benefits of consumil)g organic products is very important in boosting up the organic market

in India. The consumers must be made aware of the amount of toxic chemicals they consume when they use products of

conventional farming.

A chaIt estimating the amount of pesticides intake per person per day is given below. The products of organic farming may

be costly but are 100 per cent safe.

Average Dietary Intake of Pesticide Residue

Countries Intake (mg day' persotr')

USA

EUlQpe

UK

Canada

Austra lia

G e l1l1ony

lod lel

7.6

15b O

120

133

20 .0

11.9.0 .

362.0 (VL'9olofla n)

356.0 ( Nan-V"'-3GIOflOl')

3. The report also mentioned the concern of high cost post-harvest handling of organic foods because of mandatory

segregation of organic and conventional produce. The post-harvest losses in agricultural products are also high.

Post-harvest losses of India's major agricultural produce Commodity/Crop Overall PcSWiorvesl Monetary value 01 !he loss

Losses ( 'lI.) (INR In crores)

MIlk

C ereals

Pulses

Qllseocls

om

6.36-8.41

3.01>-996

FIlII I, 1\ Ve9<>tal)le S 4,;,1}- J 568

.1409

20698

J877

8278

40811

The PGS (Participatory Guarantee System) groups should come forward to form co-operatives at the local level to solve the

problems of storage and post-harvest handling. This will not only minimise the cost of transportation but also decrease the

post-harvest losses (of perishable items).

4. The steps taken by the government have not been adequate enough to address the setbacks of the Paramparagat Krishi

Vika~ Yojana (PKVY). The Centre's free certification programme for organ ic farmers is an example for the same.

A 2018 report on the implementation of PKVY highlights that all states, except Tripura, Odisha and Karnataka, have failed

to utilise even 50 per cent of their funds under the scheme. While the Centre has increased al location fo r the scheme by 44

per cent fo r the current year, corrective measures are needed to ensure that the sates become responsible and contribute

towards 'Organic India' .

Even when the farmers are struggling to fi nd a sustainable price for their produce, the existing certification process is not

only complicated but also expens ive. On the other hand, the conventional farmers use toxic substances without any

restrictions.

I nstead of making it difficult for the o rganic farmers, government should devise methods to redu<;e the complexity of the

ce rti fication process. By g iving a free hand to organic farmers and making certain laws to restrict chemical use by the

conventional farmers, government can bring about an organic revolution in India.

An embargo should be made on toxic chemicals used by conventional farmers which deteriorate environment and laws

should be made so that these fanners need to specify the amount and concentration applied on their produce.

Conclusion

It is high time that our country reverts back to organic farming. This will not only help to ameliorate the ecosystem but also

to improve human health.

The organic market in India has a huge potential and has been showing some very promising results during the recent years .

The conversion period may appear difficult for both the farmers and the consumers, but in the long run, thi s will prove

worth struggling for.

Adequate po li cy measures by the government and dedicated effort at local level would ensure a toxic-free future for our

country.

Abhik Roy and Nikhil Kumar are students at the Naini Agriculture Institute in Prayagraj. Views expressed are the authors '

own and don't necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth