Will aim for 15% growth in next five years, says TNAU vice-chancellor
Organic vegetables grown by farmers are available in the stores in Coimbatore. (Photo: DC)
COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu is going organic, but rather slowly. Only about 5 per cent of the farms in the state are coming under organic farming. However, with growing awareness about the harms caused by pesticide-laden vegetables and fruits, organic farming is expected to grow by 15 per cent in the next five years.
Just about 5,039 farmers in TN practise organic farming, according to the Tamil Nadu Organic Certification Department (TNOCD). The farm area under organic cultivation has increased from 28,108 acres last year to 29,677 acres now.
At present, organic farming is picking up by below 5 per cent every year in TN but the aim is to reach 15 per cent in the next five years, said Mr K. Ramasamy, vice-chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
The tale of organic farming in TN has seen upswings and downswings over the last few years. In 2012-13, the trend of subsidies support motivated farmers to form groups and take up organic cultivation. Later, in 2013-14, there were plenty of coordination issues among farmers. Now, the awareness and techniques of organic agriculture has increased among the farming community, says the vice-chancellor.
There are about 8.19 million land holdings in TN, of which 91 per cent are marginal and small farmers. However, with farm owners facing labour shortage and farming not proving to be lucrative, agricultural lands are turning into real estate plots.
Nonetheless, the increasing demand for organic food offers hope. TN has a huge potential for cultivating organic spices, tea, coconut, turmeric, rain-fed coarse cereals including rain-fed rice, pulses and vegetables in peripheral areas of the cities and towns, say experts.
TNAU VC says farmers’ mindset must change:
Farmers believe organic farming will reduce yield. It is this mindset that poses a challenging in spreading chemical-free farming in Tamil Nadu. “Psychologically, we are trained to believe that that if we use pesticides, the production will be high. There is hesitatation among farmers to adopt the practice of organic farming. We have to empower the farmers by organising various programmes,” said Mr K. Ramasamy, VC of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU).
TNAU recommends application of 12.5 tonnes of farm yard manure plus bio-fertilisers, but most of the farmers do not use it. The government has to come forward to stop the entry of harmful pesticides in the state, he said. There are 386 panchayat blocks and 32 districts in Tamil Nadu; the government has provided eight agriculture graduates in every panchayat block who will help empower the farmers.
Documentation is very important which farmers do not follow. Training, empowerment, capacity building on organic input preparation and sustainable organic farming will help to change the organic picture, he opined.
“The government has sanctioned 17 research labs for Tamil Nadu. Growth is possible if the farmers change their mindset and shift to scientific but organicway of farming,” said the VC.
Branding of products is equally important. For instance, milk from Uthukuli is famous internationally but not many people know about it, he added. The school education department is planning to create awareness among children, teachers, parents about organic farming and chemical-free safe practices and their relevance to a pollution-free environment.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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