Why in News?
The India organic food market size reached US$ 1,278 Million in 2022. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach US$ 4,602 Million by 2028, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 23.8% during 2023-2028.

Organic Farming  
According to FSSAI,’organic farming’ is a system of farm design and management to create an ecosystem of agriculture production without the use of synthetic external inputs such as chemical fertilisers, pesticides and synthetic hormones or genetically modified organisms.
Organic farm produce means the produce obtained from organic agriculture, while organic food means food products that have been produced in accordance with specified standards for organic production.

Indian Scenario Regarding Organic Farming:  
·         India ranks 1st in number of organic farmers and 9th in terms of area under organic farming.
·         Sikkim became the first State in the world to become fully organic in 2016.
·         North East India has traditionally been organic and the consumption of chemicals is far less than the rest of the country.
·         Similarly the tribal and island territories have been traditionally practicing organic farming.
·         The major organic exports from India have been flax seeds, sesame, soybean, tea, medicinal plants, rice and pulses.
·         Commencement of exports from Assam, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland to UK, USA, Eswatini and Italy have proved the potential by increasing volumes and expanding to new destinations as the demand for health foods increases.

Advantages of Organic Farming and Products  
·         In India, organic farming is a fundamental method of agriculture. Crop rotation and natural compost, which improve soil fertility and crop health, are among the best farming practices that have been used since ancient times.
·         Crop quality and soil fertility have both significantly declined with the increased usage of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides. These modifications may be reversed via organic farming.
·         Organic farming increases the nutritional content of food.
·         It helps in maintaining the fertility of the soil.
·         Discourages the use of chemical products such as pesticides and fertilizers that makes the crop free from poisonous contents.
·         Toxin-free food reduces health issues earlier caused by the absorption of toxins by crops.
·         Organically produced food serves a better nutrition quotient and better taste.
·         Organic farming enables the storage of organic food for a longer time as organic plants have greater metabolic and structural integrity in their cellular structure.

Challenges Faced in Organic Farming:  
·         It involves a significant investment of manpower and financial resources.
·         An underdeveloped supply chain and small and mid-size farmers located in the hilly region could face a problem to access the market.
·         Lack of infrastructure, cold storage, etc could lead to spoilage.
·         Farmers under a self-certification program like the PGS system for India are not allowed to export. In fact, APEDA has made it mandatory a third-party certification for the export of organic products.
·         segregation of organic products from conventional products to avoid cross-contamination.
·         Chances of loss in yield while changing the technique from conventional chemical-based farming to organic farming.
·         A shortage of good-quality organic inputs increases the loss of yield.
·         The most important issue faced by the market is ‘Greenwashing’ as many products in the market is claiming to be organic products but in practice are not complying with the government guidelines.
·         Due to lower productivity, farmers are forced to sell the products at premium prices, making it unbearable for the common man.

Scopes/Benefits  
The green revolution and excess use of fertilizers and pesticides are creating multiple health and lifestyle-related issues and environmental problems. Organic farming can be used as a method to solve soil and contamination problems.
Organic farming makes the soil healthy and filled with helpful organisms. These beneficial bacteria, fungi, and microorganisms keep the pathogenic bacteria and fungi in check.

Disease Management  
In organic and low-input production systems, plant diseases are a major factor in crop yield and quality losses.
Crop rotation and proper fertility management, which include supplying crops with a balanced amount of macro and micronutrients, have been demonstrated to increase crops’ resilience to specific diseases.

Weed Management  
Herbicides, made of chemicals are prohibited in organic farming. So, to control weeds, many cultural techniques like tillage, floods, and mulching can be applied.
In addition, biological (pathogen) methods can be applied to control weed-related loss. Utilizing drip irrigation, which restricts the flow of water to the plant line, can also help to reduce the growth of weeds.

Government Initiatives to Promote Organic Farming
   
Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD) 
·         Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER) is a Central Sector Scheme, a sub-mission under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
·         It was launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in 2015 for implementation in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
·         The scheme aims to develop certified organic production in a value chain mode to link growers with consumers and to support the development of the entire value chain.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)  
·         Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, launched in 2015 is an elaborated component of Soil Health Management (SHM) of major project National Mission of Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).
·         Under PKVY, Organic farming is promoted through adoption of organic villages by cluster approach and Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification.
 
Certification Schemes 
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the food regulator in the country and is also responsible for regulating organic food in the domestic market and imports.
 
Participatory Guarantee System (PGS): PGS is a process of certifying organic products, which ensures that their production takes place in accordance with laid-down quality standards. PGS Green is given to chemical free produce under transition to ‘organic’ which takes 3 years. It is mainly for domestic purpose.
  
National Program for Organic Production (NPOP): NPOP grants organic farming certification through a process of third party certification for export purposes. 
Soil Health Card Scheme has led to a decline of 8-10% in the use of chemical fertilizers and also raised productivity by 5-6%.

Agri-export Policy 2018  
Focus on clusters and Marketing and promotion of “Produce of India” have positively impacted the organic farming in India

One District - One Product (ODOP)  
The programme aims to encourage more visibility and sale of indigenous and specialized products/crafts of Uttar Pradesh, generating employment at the district level.
The presence of aggregators is imperative to bring about economies of scale for the small and marginal farmers.

PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM FME)  
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) launched the PM FME scheme as a part of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’.
It aims to bring in new technology, apart from affordable credit to help small entrepreneurs penetrate new markets.

Zero Budget Natural Farming  
Zero budget natural farming is a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing from traditional Indian practices.

Way Forward  
Natural farming is not a new concept in India, with farmers having tilled their land without the use of chemicals - largely relying on organic residues, cow dung, composts, etc. since time immemorial. This is also in sync with the Sustainable Development Goal 2 targeting ‘end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture’.
Hence with greater awareness and capacity building of the producers in compliance with international standards, Indian organic farmers will soon be reinforcing their rightful place in global agri trade.

Mains Question:
Q: Discuss the concept of Organic farming in India and its significance in ensuring food security and promoting sustainable agriculture.