India Among Top 3 Nations in Expanding Organic Farming in 2020

India has emerged as one of the top three countries in the world where the area under organic agriculture expanded the maximum in 2020. The total increase under organic cultivation globally in 2020 was 3 million hectares (mh), out of which Argentina accounted for 7,81,000 hectares (up by 21 per cent), followed by Uruguay at 5,89,000 hectares (28 per cent) and India at 3,59,000 hectares.

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More About This Development:

Of the world’s total 74.9 mh under organic farming, Australia has the highest at 35.7 mh. Whereas India has 2.8 mh. In contrast, out of total 34 lakh organic producers in the world, 16 lakh farmers in India are into certified organic farming.

Aid for the farming community:

The Agriculture Ministry’s ₹2,481-crore plan to create the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) has yet to be approved by the Cabinet. The project is set to run from the current fiscal year until 2025-26, with a goal of bringing 7.5 lakh farmers on board to practice non-chemical natural farming over 7.5 lakh hectares. Farmers will get a maximum of ₹15,000/hectare (until 2025-26) under the scheme, depending on any income loss from transitioning to natural farming.

What is Organic Farming:

• Organic farming is a type of agriculture or farming which avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators, & livestock feed additives.
• Organic farming systems rely on crop rotation, crop residues, animal manures, legumes, green manure, off-farm organic wastes & biofertilizers, mineral bearing rocks to maintain soil productivity, etc.

Organic farming in India, Key Facts:

• Sikkim became the first State in the world to become fully organic.
• North East India has traditionally been organic, & the consumption of chemicals is far less than rest of the country.
• Madhya Pradesh tops the list with 0.76 million ha of area under organic cultivation — that is over 27 per cent of India’s total organic cultivation area.
• The top three states, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, & Maharashtra — account for about half the area under organic cultivation.
• Major organic exports from India are flax seeds, sesame, soybean, tea, medicinal plants, rice & pulses.
• Major exporting states: Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, & Nagaland.