SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: Area under organic farming rises to 4.4 million hectares!

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PTI / The Hindu / NEW DELHI, July 5, 2011.

A section of an organic farm at a village near Varichiyur in Madurai district. Photo:S. James - The Hindu.

Area under organic farming has grown many-fold in six years to 2009-10 in India on the back of thrust given to the chemical-free mode of cultivation.

From 42,000 hectares under organic certification in 2003-04, more than 4.4 million hectares area was under organic certification in the country as on March 2010, an official statement said here on Tuesday.

For quality assurance, India has internationally acclaimed certification process in place for export, import and domestic markets.

During 2008-09, India produced about 18.78 lakh tonnes of certified organic products.

Of this, nearly 54,000 tonne food items worth Rs. 591 crore were exported. With more than 77,000 tonnes of organic cotton link production, India became the largest organic cotton grower in the world a year ago.

Indian organic exports include cereals, pulses, honey, tea, spices, oil seeds, fruits, vegetables, cotton fibre, cosmetics and body care products.

The Ministry of Agriculture is promoting organic farming in the country under National Project on Organic Farming, National Horticulture Mission, Technology Mission for North East and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

Yes, Organic Farming is Ecologically Responsible Agriculture, consumes less water, with proper irrigation management and used zero chemical based fertilizers, insecticides, weedicides, pesticides, etc. whereby assuring a much better health and also release almost nil carbon emissions that go with the agriculture based on Inorganic Chemicals.

Full Story at,

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/article2161662.ece