Organic foods are safe, healthy and free from chemical and pesticides. There has been shift in demand for organic products, especially fruit and vegetables in the cities due to increased awareness about organic food in consumers including younger generation.
Government of India (GOI) has been promoting Organic farming in the country through through dedicated schemes of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development in North East Region (MOVCDNER) since 2015. Farmers are provided financial assistance (RS 31000/ ha / 3 years in PKVY and 32500/ ha/ 3years under MOVCDNER) for organic inputs such as seeds, bio/organic fertilisers, bio-pesticides, botanical extracts etc. Support is also provided for capacity building i.e training of farmers, certification, value addition and marketing of their organic produce. In addition, Organic cultivation on either side of River Ganga, large area certification and support for individual farmers have also been introduced under PKVY. Government have also launched a dedicated web portal- www.Jaivikkheti.in/. online marketing platform for direct sale of organic products to the consumers across the country.
In addition organic farming is also supported under Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) and National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF), Network Project on Organic Farming under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Rajya Sabha .
