Story of ‘organic’ target in two NE states

Sikkim is weighing the option of exporting its organic farm produce worldwide and is in the process of setting up a company, SIFCO or Sikkim IFFCO Organics Ltd., at a cost of Rs 50 crore in Rangpo. It will be inaugurated soon.

Agriculture Minister Loknath Sharma said the company — which is a 51:49 joint venture between the state government and the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) — will help farmers in packaging and marketing of organic produce for exporting worldwide.

“It will be a milestone. Farmers will be given incentives to increase production. At present, the state does not have mass production. Sales outside Sikkim are restricted within the country,” the state minister told Sunday Monitor.

Sikkim’s resolution to shift to organic farming was adopted way back in 2003 and the state took all measures to become the world’s first organic state with a certification from the Food and Agricultural Organisation. Sikkim Organic Mission was launched in 2010 and it has achieved 100% target. The organic produce is sold outside of the state but through NGOs as “we do not have bulk production”, Sharma informed.

Among the products which the government is looking to export are cardamom, ginger, turmeric, buckwheat and cheese made from the milk of local cows.

According to a report by ASSOCHAM and Ernst and Young, India exported 1.35 million metric tonnes of certified organic food products worth Rs 1,937 crore in 2015-16. Further, India is the largest exporter of organic cotton worldwide.

According to Sharma, the government took stringent measures to ensure that organic farming is practised by every farmer. While the use of chemical fertilisers can invite imprisonment of six months in the northeastern state, farmers get incentives to increase production organically.

A local farmer has to obtain soil certification every year that will certify the agricultural field as organic. The clearance can be obtained from the government or any eligible private body.

“Our farmers as well as end users are benefitting from organic farming. Now, we are encouraging the farmers to increase production so that we can export the amount that will be remaining after internal use. As a small state, it is not possible to have bulk production,” explained Sharma, adding that so far, Sikkim does not have any target for export.

At a time when Sikkim is setting an example for the country by strictly adhering to the rules of organic farming, Meghalaya is going tepid on a blanket ban on chemicals. In fact, the state government last year lifted the eight-year ban on chemical fertilisers and announced 50% subsidy to farmers for procurement of fertilisers. Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister cited a reduction in farm produce as the reason for the decision. At the same time, he said the government would continue to encourage organic farming.

The decision to allow chemicals drew flak from leader of the opposition Mukul Sangma during whose tenure as chief minister the Mission organic was launched in 2014-15.

In Meghalaya, like in any other state in the North East, farmers were traditionally engaged in organic farming. However, soaring internal demand and the state government’s aspirations to earn revenue from exports have made bulk production a necessity.

Under the central Mission Organic Value Chain Development in North East Region, about 38,376 hectares of land in Meghalaya are being converted for organic farming, according to the government data of 2020-21.

Mission Organic was launched with a dual goal — to spread awareness among farmers and the public about the benefits of farming and eating organic produce and to build farmers’ capacity to make the transition to organic farming from both traditional and conventional agriculture.

“In keeping with the vision of the Integrated Basin Development and Livelihoods Promotion (IBDLP) programme, the second goal is to build the entrepreneurial capacity of these farmers, enabling them to understand the process of organic certification as well as marketing, and to strategically link their farm-based businesses to this high-value market sector,” according to a 2015 report.

Though a long-drawn process, the mission could have been achieved with a road map and government support as was done by Sikkim. But the mission falls flat with the lifting of the ban, which is in contradiction to the state government’s schemes, like training in producing organic compost. This also queers the pitch for organic farmers in the state who do not have a separate market and have to sell at the same market price as that of inorganic produce.

Lumbok Marbaniang, former president of Lawsohtun Farmers’ Association, said it becomes really difficult for organic producers to sustain. “There is no separate market for us. We have constructed an outlet in Lawsohtun with a government scheme. But sustaining organic farming without much support becomes difficult,” said Marbaniang.

The state government has to do much more to ensure that organic farming, which is in line with traditional practices in the primary sector, becomes sustainable for every farmer. At the same time, there should be enough awareness among buyers about the health benefits of organic produce. It should be the state’s prerogative to bring buyers and sellers on the same platform by offering incentives and infrastructure support.