The Hindu Business Line : AP to encourage organic farming

EMULATING States such as Uttaranchal, Maharashtra and Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh has decided to focus on organic farming. In a bid to learn from the experiences of those States, the State Government is sending farmers on a visit there.

The State is also in the process of enumerating the `organic' farmers in each district to gain from their experience in this regard.

To give a fillip to the whole initiative, the Government is going to announce a comprehensive `Organic farming policy' soon.

"We will be selective in the beginning. We will identify certain pockets such as Araku in Visakhapatnam district and Ponduru in Srikakulam district," Ms Poonam Malakondaiah, Commissioner for Agriculture, told Business Line.

While Araku belt was known for its coffee cultivation, Ponduru was popular for its `khaddar'.

"There is a huge demand for organic cotton products in Europe," she said.

The department had already spoken to the Tribal Welfare Department to identify potential areas and crops for employing organic farming.

The Government wanted to put all the necessary things in place before encouraging farmers to go for organic farming. "They need a certification agency to help them get premium on their produce. Bio pesticide and bio fertiliser quality testing centres too would be fully operational. In fact, we are the first State in the country to have such laboratories," she said.

Also, the Government would set up a pesticide residue testing centre in Hyderabad. Though there were some such units in the private sector, they were very costly.

The Government would also promote eco-friendly technologies and inputs (like bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides).

"We will upscale bio products," she added. On the other hand, there should be a proper quality regulation mechanism.

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