Goa has perhaps inched a little closer to the plan to follow Sikkim on its organic route, as the state now looks to replace the 8,000 tonnes of chemical fertilizer with an organic option. This, of course, will take time. However, the government must be praised for taking those first few steps.
Organic farming in Goa is more than just switching chemical fertilisers with organic fertilizer. It’s about creating a sustainable agricultural sector by merging primitive (and successful) methods of farming with modern processes. This plan should also include steps to have free range and organic livestock farming too.
There are positives that are in Goa’s favour. Even though many parts of the state use chemical fertilizer, the figure of 65 kilos per hectare (2.5 acres) is a little over a third of the national average of 157.5 kilos per hectare. There is also the fact that Goa still has many areas where age-old processes are still being used, simply due to the fact that the farmers are tribals who haven’t changed how they live and work for decades. This is why there was a plan in the past to create organic talukas. The former Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar had once discussed turning Canacona, Sanguem and Quepem, for instance, into organic talukas due to the large presence of tribal farmers there.
In the past year, the department of agriculture supplied 2,500 out of the 8,000 tonnes of fertilizer to farmers. The balance 5,500 tonnes were sourced from private suppliers. Here is where the process of switching can begin. First, the department has to move away from chemicals in a phased manner. But more than that, the agricultural policy of the state needs to have an organic outlook. For years in the past, the government subsidised chemical fertilisers. Now they have to reverse this decision and tax the product while subsidizing organic fertilisers.
Economics play a large part in any move. Even though farmers and consumers realise the good and wholesome value of organic farming, they will only jump on the bandwagon when they see an economic advantage, for which the government has created a 50 percent subsidy. For a farmer right now, organic farming means there will be a change in expenditure. If this is an advantage for them, then they will make the change immediately. The same goes for the consumer. Organic produce is priced higher than others. The perception is that it is a more expensive product. For many, this is more important than the fact that it is far healthier. But when monthly budgets are restricted for the average Goan, the move to organic farming is not going to be easy.
The government needs to do all it can to get people on board. There is even a way to create more organic compost. If panchayats and communities can convert wet waste to bio fertilizer, which they can then sell to the department of agriculture, not only will it create a self-sustaining industry but will also automatically bring the consumer closer to the farmer by way of understanding how organic farming can work. Community farming in villages is also a vehicle for awareness and change.
The government can effect this change but it needs a comprehensive and organized plan, one that starts with a proper progressive agricultural policy. Rome was not built in a day and Goa cannot move to organic farming overnight. It took Sikkim 15 years to go organic and it might take Goa equal number of years provided the foundation stone is laid today.
