Transforming Agricultural sector with Organic Farming Reforms

Introduction

Sustainable and organic farming is imperative for preserving environmental health, enhancing soil fertility, and ensuring long-term food security. These practices reduce reliance on synthetic chemicals, promote biodiversity, and mitigate climate change. The Union government is actively advancing these approaches through various initiatives. The Government of India has launched landmark schemes to support organic agriculture, improve production quality, and strengthen the resilience of farming systems across the country.

Promoting Sustainable Farming Practices

To tackle climate change, the Indian government is implementing the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), a central element of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

NMSA aims to enhance the climate resilience of agriculture through various schemes. Initially, the mission focused on Rainfed Area Development (RAD), On-Farm Water Management (OFWM), and Soil Health Management (SHM)

Subsequently, additional programs were introduced, including the Soil Health Card (SHC), Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Mission Organic Value Chain Development in the North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER), Per Drop More Crop (PDMC), and the National Bamboo Mission (NBM). The Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) Scheme, which was launched in 2015-16 with an initial outlay of Rs 400 crore, focuses on establishing certified organic production clusters across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. This initiative aims to develop a comprehensive value chain that includes inputs, seeds, certification, and infrastructure for collection, aggregation, processing, and marketing.

As of June 2024, the scheme has released Rs 1,150.09 crore, facilitated the creation of 379 FPOs/FPCs covering 189,039 farmers and 172,966 hectares, and established 394 collection and grading units, 123 processing facilities, and provided 145 vehicles.

Clean Plant Programme (CPP)

In August 2024, the Union Cabinet approved the Clean Plant Programme (CPP) proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. With a significant investment of Rs 1,765.67 crore, this initiative aims to transform the horticulture sector in India, setting new benchmarks for excellence and sustainability

Key Benefits of CPP:

Farmers: The CPP will provide access to virus-free, high-quality planting material, which is expected to boost crop yields and enhance farmer income opportunities.

Nurseries: The program will streamline certification processes and offer infrastructure support, enabling nurseries to propagate clean planting material and promote growth and sustainability effectively.

Consumers: The initiative will deliver superior produce free from viruses, improving the taste, appearance, and nutritional value of fruits available to consumers.

Exports: By focusing on higher-quality, disease-free fruits, India aims to strengthen its position as a leading global exporter

The CPCs initiative will establish nine state-of-the-art facilities across India, each equipped with advanced diagnostic, therapeutic, and tissue culture labs. These centers will focus on various crops, including Grapes, temperate fruits like Apples, Almond, and Walnuts and Citrus Fruits among others. They will be essential in producing and maintaining virus-free planting material for widespread propagation.

The Clean Plant Programme will also ensure affordable access to clean plant material for all farmers, regardless of landholding size or socioeconomic status. The initiative will actively involve women farmers in its planning and implementation phases, providing them with resources, training, and opportunities for participation in decision-making.

PM-PRANAM: Encouraging fertilizers free farming

The government of India is encouraging the balanced use of fertilizer in conjunction with Organic and Biofertilizers on soil test-based recommendations. “PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment, and Amelioration of Mother Earth (PM-PRANAM)” is implemented to incentivize States and Union Territories to promote the use of alternative fertilizers such as organic and bio-fertilizers to improve soil health and fertility and sustainable productivity.

Under the programme, state governments will be incentivized to the tune of 50% of fertilizer subsidy saved for the promotion of organic and natural farming and organic fertilizers.

The government has also announced Market Development Assistance at Rs 1,500/MT for Fermented Organic Manure and Liquid Fermented Organic Manure use of organic fertilizers.

Promoting Climate-Resilient Crops and Bio-Input Centres

The Union government has conducted a comprehensive review of agricultural research infrastructure to enhance productivity. As part of this initiative, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has introduced 109 new high-yielding and climate-resilient varieties across 32 field and horticultural crops for farmers.

Over the next two years, the government plans to transition one crore farmers to natural farming, providing support for certification and branding. Additionally, 10,000 bio-input resource centres will be set up to facilitate this transition. To achieve self-sufficiency in pulses and oilseeds, the government will focus on improving production, storage, and marketing, with particular emphasis on oilseeds such as mustard, groundnut, sesame, soybean, and sunflower.

Key Schemes for Sustainable Agriculture

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): Launched in 2015-16, the Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) is a centrally sponsored program dedicated to advancing organic farming. As of June 30, 2024, the scheme has received a total allocation of Rs 2,078.67 crore. Under PKVY, 38,043 clusters, each covering 20 hectares, have been established, collectively encompassing an area of 8.41 lakh hectares, including the Land Area Covered (LAC).

Under the PKVY scheme, various states have developed unique brands to market their organic produce. These include:

Madhya Pradesh: Made in Mandla
Uttarakhand: Organic Uttarakhand
Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu Organic Product (TOP)
Maharashtra: Sahi organic, Nasik Organic, and Gadchirrolia Organic Farming
Jharkhand: Jaivik Jharkhand
Chhattisgarh: Aadim brand by BhoomiGadi FPO, Bastar Naturals
Punjab: Five Rivers
Tripura: Tripureshwari Fresh

These state-specific brands aim to promote and distinguish locally produced organic goods in the market, supporting farmers and encouraging sustainable agriculture practices across India.

In addition to the aforementioned initiative, significant progress has been made in natural farming and organic agriculture:

Natural Farming: Under PKVY, funds have been released for natural farming on 4.09 lakh hectares across Eight states viz Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand

Namami Gange Programme: A total of Rs 272.85 crore has been allocated, leading to the formation of 9,551 clusters and covering 1.91 lakh hectares. The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has identified industrial clusters under the Namami Gange Programme to help reduce pollution and provide financial support to sectors like tanneries and textile effluents.

A key element of the Ganga rejuvenation project is the implementation of ‘forestry interventions’ aimed at boosting the productivity and biodiversity of forests in the river’s headwater areas and along its banks and tributaries. To support this, the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun has prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for afforestation across 134,106 hectares in the Ganga river basin states—Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

The project is estimated to cost Rs. 2,293.73 crores. The FRI DPR outlines four major areas of focus: Agricultural Landscape, Natural Landscape, Urban Landscape, and Conservation Interventions.

Jaivik-Kheti Portal: A dedicated online platform, Jaivik-Kheti has been established to facilitate direct sales of organic products from farmers to consumers. The portal currently has 6.23 lakh registered farmers.

Large Area Certification (LAC): Initiated in 2020-21, this program aims to certify large, traditionally organic areas with no history of GMOs or agrochemical use. Key achievements include:

Andaman & Nicobar Islands: 14,445 hectares in Car Nicobar and Nancowry islands have been certified, transforming these areas to organic, akin to Sikkim.
Ladakh: A proposal for 5,000 hectares has been received, with ₹11.475 lakh allocated.
Lakshadweep: The entire cultivable area of 2,700 hectares has been certified as organic. ➢ Sikkim: Rs 96.39 lakh has been released for certifying 60,000 hectares under the Large Area Certification program.

National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA): The scheme aims to assess the impact of climate change on agriculture—encompassing crops, livestock, horticulture, and fisheries—and to develop and promote climate-resilient agricultural technologies. Over the past decade (2014-2024), the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has released 2,593 varieties, with 2,177 of these showing tolerance to one or more biotic or abiotic stresses.

Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH): Under MIDH, significant progress has been made from 2014-15 to 2023-24, including the expansion of 13.79 lakh hectares of horticultural crops, establishment of 905 nurseries for quality planting material, rejuvenation of 1.48 lakh hectares of old and senile orchards, coverage of 52,259 hectares under organic farming, and the development of 3.04 lakh hectares under protected cultivation.

Conclusion

Organic farming is essential for ensuring environmental health and food security in the long term. By reducing the dependency on synthetic inputs and fostering natural agricultural practices, these methods continue to contribute to the preservation of resources and the resilience of farming systems. The Indian government’s robust initiatives, such as PKVY, MOVCDNER, and CPP, are pivotal in advancing these goals, enhancing production quality, and promoting climate resilience.

Together, these efforts reforms, and schemes reflect a commitment to building a more sustainable and secure agricultural future for India.