CHENNAI: In accordance with the Organic Farming Policy released recently, Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam, in the agriculture budget, announced many measures to encourage organic farming in the state.
A special scheme will be implemented to promote organic farming in the Nilgiris district over a period of five years at an outlay of `50 crore. The Nilgiris is one of the districts where the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides is high.
To identify potential areas to be brought under organic farming, a baseline survey will be taken up in all districts except Chennai. The measures include the formation of 725 organic clusters in 14,500 hectares in 32 districts, assistance for organic certification for 10,000 hectares, setting up organic input production centres for 100 farmers groups interested in the production and sale of organic inputs like Panchagavya, Jeevamirtham, Vermicompost, Amirthakaraisal, Meen Amilam, etc. These will be carried out at an expenditure of `26 crore during 2023-24.
Spreading awareness on organic farming, reducing the use of chemical fertilizers, introducing organic cultivation practices, providing guidance on the production of organic inputs, extending cultivation assistance, registration for organic certification, and creating markets for organic produces will be carried out at a cost of `5 crores.
Besides, `20 lakh will be allocated to provide a 50% subsidy to organic farmers for undertaking pesticide residue analysis of their produce. To meet the demand for organic manure from the farmers, Press Mud bio-composting infrastructure will be established in Salem and Amaravathi Cooperative Sugar Mills at a cost of `3 crores.
In recognition of the contribution made by Nammazhvar in the field of organic farming, an award in the name of Nammazhvar will be given to the farmers who practice and promote organic farming and handhold fellow organic farmers. The award comprises `5 lakh and a citation will be handed over on Republic Day every year.
Welcoming the measures announced for promoting organic farming, VS Dhanapathi, an organic farmer from Pudukkottai told TNIE the farmers have other needs too. "Since organic farming is a way of self-reliant farming, the government should at least provide `15,000 per acre as an input subsidy so that the farmer could produce his own inputs. We ask this because the farmers using chemical fertilisers are getting government subsidies," he added.
Dhanapathi expressed deep disappointment over the absence of announcements about hiking procurement prices for paddy and sugarcane as promised by DMK in its election manifesto. "This is the third budget. But the promise to hike the paddy procurement price to `2,500 per quintal and `4,000 per tonne remains on the paper. Even the incentives given for paddy and sugarcane farmers have not been hiked. But the cost of production has gone up steeply during the past few years," he added.
Jeevakumar, an agricultural activist from Boothalur in Thanjavur district, said organic farming cannot be promoted without taking care of the cattle, and For that, he said, the fund allocation is meagre. He also said that only hiking the procurement price to `3,500 per quintal will help the farmers. "But the government has not yet touched `2,500 per quintal," he added.