The market for edible organic products in India is growing at 25-30 per cent, but awareness about organic farming is still low despite huge spending, the government said on Thursday.

“While the government is spending crores of rupees on its promotion, still majority of people are unaware about organic farming and its benefits,” Minister of State for Agriculture Mohanbhai Kundariya said at an Assocham event here.

He said considering the growing demand for certified organic produce in the global markets, there is also a pressing need to create awareness about the export potential of organic products amid farmers.

The Minister said adoption of organic farming practices would also help in protecting land, water resources and improve farmers’ economic condition. “There is a huge potential for growth and development of organic farming in India owing to factors such as soil health deterioration, change in climate and decline in per-capita land availability and others,” he added.

A study released at the event projected that the domestic organic food market would touch the $1.36 billion mark by 2020. In 2014, the size of the organic food market, which is highly unorganised, was $0.36 billion, and organic pulses and foodgrains grabbed the lion’s share of the market, said the study by industry chamber Assocham and TechSci Research.

The study noted that the level of awareness about organic food products was limited to consumers in Metro cities and suggested that companies in collaboration with the government should organise awareness and training programmes for farmers and consumers. It also recommended that organic producers should focus on pulses and foodgrains to maximise earnings, besides tapping the export potential in West and South-East Asia, which have concentration of high net worth individuals.

According to government data, organic farming is practised in 12 States on about 4.72 million hectares. In 2013-14, organic food production was 1.24 million tonnes.

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