APEDA forms Dedicated Organic Promotion Division

General Studies Paper-3

Context: Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has created a dedicated organic promotion division for the promotion of organic exports.

Organic Farming in India

• India occupies fifth place globally with a total area of 2.66 million hectares in organic farming.
• Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under organic certification followed by Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka.
• Sikkim is India’s first fully organic state, with implementing organic practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land.
• In 2022-23, India produced around 2.9 million metric tonnes of certified organic products like oil seeds, cereals and millets, cotton, pulses among others.
• The exports of India’s organic products stood at $708 million in 2022-23 and considering the global market size of around $138 billion, there is a tremendous scope to increase the organic exports in the near future.

Advantages of Organic Farming

• Healthier Food Products: Organic farming avoids the use of synthetic fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides etc. This results in food products that are free from harmful chemical residues with higher levels of essential nutrients.
• Enhanced Soil Health: Organic farming methods focus on building and maintaining soil health by increasing organic matter content, microbial activity, and nutrient cycling.
• Economic Opportunities: Organic farming provides economic benefits to farmers through premium prices for organic products, access to niche markets, and reduced input costs over the long term.
• Climate Change Mitigation: Organic farming practices such as composting and organic soil management contribute to carbon sequestration in the soil, helping to mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Biodiversity Conservation: Organic farming practices support biodiversity by creating habitats for beneficial insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Challenges in Organic Farming

• Yield Limitations: Organic farming typically yields lower outputs compared to conventional farming methods, at least in the short term.
• Weed Control: Weed management is a significant challenge in organic farming, as synthetic herbicides cannot be used. Organic farmers rely on methods such as manual weeding, mulching, and cover cropping, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming.
• Access to Organic Inputs: Organic farmers face difficulties in accessing certified organic seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs, especially in remote or underdeveloped regions.
• Certification and Compliance: Obtaining organic certification requires adherence to strict standards and regulations, which is complex and costly for farmers, especially smallholders.

Organic Certifications Systems in India

• National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP): It is under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for development of the export market.
• It is a third party certification programme where the production and handling of activities at all stages such as production, processing, trading and export requirements for organic products is covered.
• Participatory Guarantee System (PGS-India): In the operation stakeholders (including farmers/ producers) are involved in decision making and essential decisions about the operation of the PGS-India certification itself by assessing, inspecting and verifying the production practices of each other and collectively declaring produce as organic.
• It is under the Ministry of Agriculture and farmers Welfare for meeting the demand of the domestic market.
• Food Safety Regulation has made it mandatory for organic products to be certified under NPOP or PGS for being sold in the domestic market under the Jaivik Bharat logo.

Government Schemes for Organic Farming

• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): The schemes stress on end-to-end support to farmers engaged in organic farming i.e. from production to processing, certification and marketing and post-harvest management.

Training and Capacity Building are integral parts of the scheme.

• Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER): The scheme is being implemented exclusively in the NE States to support farmers engaged in organic farming.

Way Ahead

• The shift in global consumption patterns towards healthier, safer, sustainable and nutritious food has propelled organic products into the limelight.
• The surge in demand presents a golden opportunity for India, to meet the growing global demand for organic products and to tap into the global organic food market.