Telangana's digital platform powers organic expansion
Hyderabad:Telangana is gearing up to ride the growth wave in organic agriculture, by inaugurating a digital platform to help open up substantial local and export‑oriented commercial opportunities for farmers. The government will launch ‘TG Organics’, a dedicated mobile app for certified organic producers, on May 4 at Tandur in Vikarabad district, during a farming festival as part of the ongoing 99-day ‘Pragati Pranalika’ initiative.
Officials in the agriculture department said the move is expected not only to boost farm incomes across the state but also to position Telangana as a key player in the fast‑growing domestic and international market for organic food.
Developed under the Telangana Seed and Organic Certification Authority (TSSOCA), the app is built on a foundation of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)‑linked certification. Since 2016, TSSOCA has been issuing organic certificates based on the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) and the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), aligning the state’s standards with global norms.
Till January, about 10,000 organic farmers across roughly 50,000 acres, organised under 206 operators and 24 certified organic farmer groups, had received formal certification, said Adapa Kiran Kumar, director of the authority.
An additional 61,125 acres spread across 489 clusters have been registered for conversion and inspection under the broader “prakruthi krishi” (natural farming) programme, he noted, significantly expanding the base of certified organic produce in the coming years.
From a commercial perspective, the state’s organic push is already showing strong returns. Agriculture department estimates indicate that in urban and peri‑urban areas around Hyderabad and other district headquarters, demand for certified organic food has translated into price premiums of 15–30 per cent over conventional produce.
This has encouraged farmers in districts like Khammam, Nizamabad, Adilabad and Rangareddy, as well as those in the Hyderabad belt, to switch to organic or integrate certified organic plots within their existing farms, an agricultural officer said.
