Organic farming has become a priority for the nation, says Goyal
India’s total export value of products from organic farming has the potential to reach Rs.20,000 crore in the next three years, Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal said on 9 Jan during his address at the launch of 8th edition of National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) in New Delhi https://www.commerce.gov.in/.
With the launch of the 8th Edition of the NPOP, India is poised to strengthen its position as a leading global exporter of organic products, empowering stakeholders across the organic value chain, he underlined at gathering of international partners at the event.
New regulations underscore the government’s ongoing commitment to sustainable agriculture, farmer welfare and food security, added the Ministry of Commerce and Industry https://fieo.org/.
The 8th NPOP introduced key amendments aimed at promoting ease of operations and enhancing transparency for stakeholders, including farmers.
Organic farming as a form of sustainable farming practice will help combat water scarcity and overapplication of fertilisers and pesticides harming soil quality and crop yields in the country, the Minister noted.
Highlighting the farmers’ efforts in ensuring food security, Goyal informed that there is a significant push from the Government to promote organic farming.
Organic farming has become a priority for the nation and will be regarded as a valuable way of farming across the world. Farmers adopting organic farming have seen an increase in yields and income, he said.
The Minister said that organic farming plays a crucial role in Indian agriculture.
The Government will benefit from increased exports of organic products to the world, he noted.
The Minister also said that there is a need to put emphasis on packaging and marketing of the organic products for the farmers to receive the right price for their produce. He also pointed out that this value chain will also help generate employment and the nation will gain popularity across the world. Goyal praised the efforts of Amul, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and National Co-operative Organics Limited (NCOL) for contributing to the growth of the organic sector.
He also said the cooperative sector, farming sector and the trade sector will assist the organic sector to grow in the future.
There is a need to focus on market expansion and raise quality standards of the products. Capacity building for the farmers and research on utilising modern techniques for higher yields is also necessary. Higher yields will lead to higher availability of products which will help spur buying decisions of consumers, Minister Goyal said.
The occasion saw wide participation from government officials from both the Centre and State, embassy officials and representatives from major trading partners like USA, EU, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand, and UAE, industry leaders from international organizations like the FAO, IFOAM and FiBL, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)/ Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) and over 1,000 farmers from the states of Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Sikkim and Rajasthan.
Renowned companies from the Indian Organic Industry such as Organic India, Nature Bio Foods, Nature Pearls, Shresta, Jeev Amrit, Plantrich, PDS Spices, Amul and government Ministries and Departments like NAFED and NCOL respectively also showcased their products in the 11 stalls that were put up by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), an export-focused apex body under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry responsible for promoting the export of agricultural and processed food products. Fiinews.com
