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Promotion goes aggressive, lures farmers by Swati Shinde Gole

Over 10 lakh farmers in the state have already taken up organic farming as a result of some aggressive promotion by the agriculture department.

Of the nearly 6.5 lakh hectares under organic cultivation, 2.77 lakh have been certified and farmers have been branding their produce as organic produce. Some 2.14 lakh farmers are managing certified organic land and the number is expected to go up as more and more land gets the certification. The union government has implemented the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) which involves accreditation norms for certification bodies, norms for organic production and promotion of organic farming.

The ministry of commerce launched the NPOP in April 2000 and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has been implementing it. Organic farming is taken to the people through agricultural fairs, promotional activities, training and workshops.

T Sudhakar, deputy general manager, APEDA, western region, said, "India is bestowed with potential to produce all varieties of organic products due to its agro-climatic regions. In several parts of the country, the inherited tradition of organic farming is an added advantage. This holds promise for organic producers to tap the market which is growing steadily in the domestic market."

"The state has launched a special programme to train farmers in organic farming, nearly 320 sessions are being held within a year. In 2008-09, India exported 77,000 tonnes of cotton of which over 50 per cent came from Vidarbha region known for its cotton crop," Sudhakar said. The other major crops preferred by farmers include tur and soybean.

As against this, India produced around 3,96,997 metric tonnes of certified organic products which includes Basmati rice, pulses, honey, tea, spices, coffee, oil seeds, fruits, processed food, cereals, herbal medicines and other value-added products. The production is not limited to the edible sector, but also to cotton fibre, garments, cosmetics, functional food products and body-care products.