As of January 2016, Sikkim is now India’s first organic state, which means that all farming conducted in the state is done using organic methods. At a recent conference in Goa, there were references made to this state’s chances of becoming another organic
state. The possibilities and advantages are endless and the potential to turn organic exists, but for this there would have to be a large scale collaboration between the farmers and agriculturalists, the markets and the State. The plan to go organic in Sikkim started in 2003 and it has taken 13 years to get to that point. The government formulated
a roadmap and stuck to it. Of course there were obstacles along the way, but when change is inevitable, fighting it only happens for so long. Using the Sikkim Organic Mission as a template, this is what roughly needs to be done. One of the first things to do is to formulate an action plan, which lists down a step by step process from now to 100 percent organic. The State has to form an organic board, which will address the basic requirements or organic crop production, organic livestock management and the processing and harvesting or organic produce. This board has to come up with standards and norms, create accreditation, create and enforce procedures, advise the
government and work with farmers to ensure compliance. An organic state means that all agricultural produce and livestock within the state are chemical free. Farming will be done without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and livestock will be bred in a similar fashion, using organic food and using free range methods instead of confining them to cages and closed areas. None of this is easy. One of the biggest
tasks will be convincing farmers and livestock breeders
that going organic can still be profitable in the long run, because
the journey to get there is tough. Weaning away producers
from using chemicals and other non-organic methods
takes time and costs money. So, the government here needs to
start making it economically viable for farmers and other producers
to move towards becoming 100 percent organic.
This means that the people have to be sensitized and the
markets have to be open to this. As of now, there is a small
market for organic products, but these come at a cost simply
because they are not locally available. Once Goa becomes an
organic state, widespread availability of these products means
that the price goes down. More people will buy them. Government
machinery will also need to pitch in, by way of distribution
and subsidies. It may all look good on paper but the road
to becoming an organic state is not easy, especially with the
lack of a national policy. However, using the Sikkim roadmap
and following other states who are also moving towards
becoming 100 percent organic will help Goa get there quicker
than 13 years. For this, stakeholders and the markets need to
be on the same page. The organic board will see to that. The
government will need to formulate policies and standards,
and will need to start by setting a deadline for a complete ban
on chemical products in farming.
Goa needs to start producing a lot of agricultural products
that are not available within the state. The State also needs to
make farming profitable, so that the thousands of arable lands
lying vacant can start to be used. Turning 100 percent organic
is not a pipe dream. It’s an inevitability.
