Question : Promotion of Organic Farming

(a) the current status, details and total area covered under organic farming in the country till 2019, State-wise;

(b) the steps that have been taken and the plans envisaged for encouraging organic farming in the country including in Kushinagar, UP;

(c) whether the Government has earmarked any budget for promoting organic farming, if so, the details thereof State-wise including Uttar Pradesh and its Kushinagar region;

(d) whether the Government has conducted any study to check the economic impact of organic farming in the country, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(e) whether the Government has taken/ is planning to take measures to make this organic traditional agriculture affordable and remunerative and if so, the details thereof;

(f) whether training workshops are being organised by the Government to promote the use of organic techniques in organic farming and the benefits thereof in the country, if so, the details thereof and the number of workshops organised across the country including Uttar Pradesh during the last three years and the current year along with the full details of the number of farmers participated in the workshops; and

(g) whether the Government plans to promote polyhouse farming on a large scale and if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

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(a): A total area of 27.77 lakh hectares is covered under organic farming in the country under Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) and 3rd party certification. The State wise area covered under Organic Farming till date is given at Annexure-I.
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(b), (c) and (e): Government of India has been encouraging organic farming in the country through the dedicated schemes namely Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY- Centrally Sponsored scheme, in all states & UTs) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development of North East Region (MOVCDNER -Central Sector scheme for North Eastern Region). Both the schemes aim at promotion of cluster/ Farmers Producer Organization (FPO) based chemical free, low input cost, sustainable organic farming and support farmers from input procurement to market linkages.

Organic Farming has also been supported under other schemes viz. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Network Project on Organic Farming under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Third party certification of organic farming is promoted by Agriculture Processed Food and Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce.

In U.P, an area of 12400 hectares is covered under PKVY and an area of 400 hectares is proposed in Kushinagar for current financial year of 2019-20.

Budget of Rs. 1632 crore under PKVY and Rs. 645 crore under MOVCDNER respectively has been earmarked since 2015-16 till date. State-wise detail of the budget allocated to states including U.P under respective schemes is given at Annexure-II & III.

(d): Management Agricultural National Institute of Extension (MANAGE), Hyderabad conducted impact study for the scheme Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) during 2017. It is reported that there was 10-20% reduction in cost of cultivation (cost saving) and 20-50% increase in net returns to organic farmers. Price premium( up to 30%) was also observed in some clusters, which were nearer to large cities and had good linkages with large markets.

(f): In the last 3 years, 115314 and 2050 number of capacity building trainings/ workshops conducted for the farmers in the country under PKVY and MOVCDNER scheme respectively, while the no. of farmers participated in the workshops are 14.93 lakhs and 82294 respectively. In U.P 2300 workshops were conducted and 31000 farmers participated.

Apart from states, National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF), Ghaziabad, a subordinate office of Department of Agriculture Cooperation (DAC&FW) also conducts regular certificate course on organic farming (CCOF), trainings to farmers/ extension staff skill development training on Organic Growers & Vermicompost for promotion of organic farming and its techniques.

(g) Under protected cultivation component of MIDH, assistance is also provided for creation of polyhouses which protects the plants from adverse climatic conditions and provides an appropriate amount of light, temperature, humidity, carbon-dioxide etc. to achieve optimum yield with excellent quality.

Since inception of MIDH scheme i.e. from 2014-15 to till date an additional area of 2380.49 ha has been brought under Green house structures like polyhouses.