The Hindu Business Line : Six-month certificate course in organic farming launched

New Delhi, Feb. 15 The Government is lining up a massive investment of Rs 366 crore to boost production and export of 53 organic produce in 23 States, including eight in the North-Eastern region, in the next three years, the Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh, said on Friday.

The items will cover fruits and vegetables, spices and nuts, besides commercial crops.

At a function to mark the launching of a certificate course in organic farming, jointly organised by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) here, the Minister said that the project would be shared by all stakeholders such as the Ministry of Agriculture, State governments, APEDA/Spices Board, and private parties.

He said the proposal would shortly be forwarded to Mr Sharad Pawar, Union Minister for Agriculture, for approval as the agriculture ministry would bear close to 51 per cent of the cost.

Certifying agencies

Mr Ramesh said that so far, a dozen certifying agencies for organic produce operate in the country for export purposes but the idea was to create many certifying agencies in the entire value chain of organic production so as to bring more beneficiaries under the organic fold.

With rising organic production in tea, coffee, spices and cotton, this method is becoming popular as its input cost is lower but the return it fetches is higher.

He said the time had come to popularise the slogan “no pesticide, no suicide” for giving better value to growers and farmers for their produce.

6-month course

In a first of its sort, IGNOU, in concert with APEDA, has developed a six-month certificate course in organic farming in order to address the need for trained personnel in the sector in India. Currently, India has 1.7 million hectares under certified organic farming. The organic market is valued at Rs 100 crore, with an annual growth rate expected to touch 50 per cent by 2010 from 35 per cent levels now.

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