Organic farming is a technique, which involves cultivation of plants and rearing of animals in natural ways. This process involves the use of biological materials, avoiding synthetic substances to maintain soil fertility and ecological balance thereby minimizing pollution and wastage. FAO suggested that Organic agriculture enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity.

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Status of Organic farming in India:

• India is home to 30 per cent of the total organic producers in the world, but accounts for just 2.59 per cent (1.5 million hectares) of the total organic cultivation area of 57.8 million hectares, according to the World of Organic Agriculture 2018 report.
• India is the largest exporter of organic cotton worldwide.
• More than 30% of world’s organic producers are in India
• India exporting over 300 products in 20 different categories.
• India exported 1.35 million metric tons of “certified organic” food in the year of 2015-16.
• Oilseeds comprised half of India’s overall organic food export, followed by processed food products at 25%.
• Current Indian organic market is estimated at more than Rs. 4000 crore and it is likely to increase to 10,000 to 20,000 crore by 2020.
• Indian organic market has a combined annual growth rate of 25% compared to 16% global growth rate.
• Most organic farmers are struggling due to poor policy measures, rising input costs and limited market, says a study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and global consultancy firm Ernst & Young.

Challenges:

• Due to relatively small volumes, the costs of organic food products are relatively high. According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, productivity on an average dips by 6.7 per cent in the first year, and the government needs to have a plan in place to support farmers during the transition.
• The cost of cultivation increases as it takes more time and energy to produce than its chemical-intensive counterpart.
• High demand and low supply has further created an inflationary pressure on organic food products.
• Pest attack on organic crops is another reason cited by the farmers for low productivity and demanded education and training to deal with it.
• Specialised farmer training costs, higher processing and inventory holding costs, and increased packaging, logistics and distribution costs add to the price of end products.
• The absence of organic food products across all segments in the market is a concern
• There is low awareness at the producer level on the difference between conventional farming and organic farming.
• At the consumer level, there is confusion between natural and organic products and limited understanding of the health benefits of organic food products
• Consumers are faced with a plethora of decisions around brands —imported or domestic, product quality, authenticity of claims and certifications.
• Even as farmers are struggling to find a better market, the existing certification systems for organic food are making things difficult for them. The certification systems are not only cumbersome and time-consuming, but also expensive.

Way forward:

• Supply-demand mismatch can be eased fundamentally  by making organic production  mainstream with  location-specific hybrid production  strategies
• Investments in achieving operations excellence by companies will facilitate lowering the cost of organic food products
• In order to sustain consumer trust, maintaining an accurate audit stream, and preventing cross-contamination  with conventional  goods would  be crucial.
• Consumers should consume responsibly and stakeholders should prevent wastage along the supply chain.
• The Government must rope in agricultural scientists and international research institutions to develop organic herbicides.
• It is critical for companies involved in the  organic food  business to increase awareness among consumers  in non-metro  cities
• People across all income groups should have access to organic food.
• Establishing community-supported agricultural farms or with “grow your own food” programmes

Conclusion:

Organic agriculture is the best insurance policy that  India can have with better  performance  on productivity,  environmental  impact,  economic  viability and social well-being. Focusing only  on higher  yields at the expense of other  sustainability pillars (economics, environment  and society) is not  the food  production  system that India needs. What India needs is an integrated  system that gives equal importance  to  all sustainability dimensions across the value chain and thus helps establish a healthy and  well-fed society.