Organic farming certification is still considered to be a costly affair for farmers across the state. A farmer has to spend upto Rs 1 lakh for certification and inspections for a period of three years, depending on the certifying agency.

“The stringent procedure for the certification process and the time involved in addition to the huge cost involved for certification is a discouraging aspect,” said Narasimha Reddy, a farmer from Gauribidanur in Kolar district. “Though the government is doing enough, unless the certification cost is brought down or subsidised, many farmers might not come under the belt of organic farming,” he stated.

In India, currently there are around 22 accredited inspection and certification agencies which follow a rigorous process, to bring farms up to code with organic standards. These are dictated by National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF) under Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

Though there is no direct subsidy given for certification, the government encourages group certification through farmers cooperatives, the government officials argue.....Read More

Source: IBN Live

View as PDF