Part 5

[OrganicABC]

Market network


It is expected that organic produce should fetch a greater market premium as compared to the traditional one and there should be definite market to buy the produce at a higher price.


The basic focus of organic agriculture should be



To produce farm products for the home i.e., internal consumption and
For the markets, basically for export, since this will fetch more revenue.

Global scenario of organic agriculture


About 100 countries of the world are in organic agriculture and area under organic. is increasing. As per a study made in2004, by the Foundation of Ecology and Agriculture (FOUL), the total global area under organic is about 24 million hectare.


Land area of major countries under organic management





Name of country


Area under organic (M.ha)


% of total agriculture area


No. of organic farm


Australia


100000


2.20


1380


Argentina


20600


1.70


1779


U.S.A.


0.95


0.23


6949


U.K.


0.7245


4.22


4057


Germany


0.6969


4.10


15628


South Africa


0.0045


0.05


250


China


0.3012


0.06


2910


Japan


0.0005


0.10


-


India


0.0370


0.03


5147


Pakistan


0.0002


0.08


405


Sri Lanka


0.0015


0.65


3301


All world


240700


1.60


462475


Source: IFOAM, 2004


Among the organic food growing countries, Australia is the top (42%) followed by Argentina and Latin America and Europe. The total area in Asia is 880000 hectare (0.07% of total area).


MARKET



The current world organic market has been estimated at over US 26 billion $ from cultivated total area of around 24 million hectare world wide.
It almost reached 31 billion US$ by 2005.
Premium on most organic products range between 35-100%.

4. 95% of the organic product is consumed in developed countries.


5. The major producers and importers of organic products are EU, USA and


Japan


The principal organic products include




Fresh fruits and vegetables
Cereals (wheat, rice, maize), coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, herbs, oilseeds, pulses, milk products, honey, meat, edible nuts and semi-processed food etc.


Organic market share = 1% of total food share


Global market in 2005 = 31 billion US $


Value of organic food sales





USA


8000 million US$


Germany


2100 million US$


UK


1000 million US$


Italy


1000 million US$


France


850 million US$


Switzerland


450 million US$


India (Export)


More than 17 million US$





ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN INDIA


In year 2000, the National Agriculture Policy was framed and following that,






Planning Commission constituted a steering group on agriculture who, in turn, identified that organic farming should be taken up as a major thrust area under the 10th Plan. The region included NE rainfed area and in the areas where the consumption of agro-chemical is low or negligible like Uttranchal.
The traditional knowledge of agriculture relating to organic farming was re-assessed and its scientific up gradation was done.
DAC constituted a Task Force on organic farming which recommended the motion of organic farming.
Ministry of Commerce launched a national organic programme in April, 2000 and APEDA (Ag. Pro. Food products Exports Dev. Authority) was to implement the national programme for organic production. APEDA then set the followings-

1. National standard 2. Accreditation criteria


3. Inspection and certification agency, 4. Accreditation procedure


5. Inspection and certification procedure as have been approved by


the National Screening Committee


India’s advantages in organic agriculture


India is endowed with diverse forms of nutrients in different soil types as available in different parts of the country which help in organic cultivation.


Farmers in most parts still depend on the animals and biodiversity for agriculture


Use of chemicals in agriculture in most parts is much below the prescribed doses; in the north-east states, agrochemicals have been selectively barred since long.


Availability of organic nutritional inputs in India as estimated by NCOF, Ghaziabad is as follows:






Crop residue (3.865 billion tones) 2. Animal dung (3.854 million tones)

3. Green manure (0.223 million tones) 4. Bio-fertilizer (0.3670 million tones)


5. Besides it has enough scope for both ancient and modern method of organic agriculture using Nadep compost, Vermi compost and other such practices.


i) Soil fertility


a.) Sanjeevan System, derived from the Indian traditional knowledge system,


essentially promotes the growth of soil microbes to a super active form through the spray of alcoholic extracts, called “amruta” of 2 Ficus plants on composts of all kinds. The matter has been proved at Sanjeevani Sugar Factory, Kopergaon, Maharashtra, where microbial count increased to 1012 in 15 days.


b.) Panchagabya, recommended by the Indian knowledge system, is used mostly in south India as a foliar spray for plant growth (Stock solution = 5 kg fresh cow dung + 3 liter cow urine + 2 liter cow milk + 1 liter cow ghee + 2 liter cow milk curd + 3 liter sugar cane juice + 3 liter tender coconut water + 12 ripe bananas, kept in an earthen pot, stirred vigorously once in the morning for 15 days, 3% aqueous solution is sprayed on all crops to revive the dieing crop and envigorous the healthy crop).


c.) Agnihotra, is an ancient Vedic method, revived recently by plant scientists and is adopted widely around the world for all crops and even for waste land reclamations.(Ingredients include a pyramidal copper vessel, few dry cow dung cakes, little cow ghee, few rice grains, a copper spoon. The dung cakes are ignited at the field every day at Sun rise and Sun set with the recitation of 2 Sanskrit mantras in praise of the Sun and fire and ash so gathered, called the “miracle powder” acts as both growth promoter and insecticide when sprayed on the field.


d) Vermi compost or more precisely worm-cast applications. Culture and collection of worm casts of select varieties of earthworms, both native and nativised, are rich in plant nutrients and plant food generating microbes. Its applications in the farm soil help crop plants grow, flower and fruit properly.


Raw animal dungs and decaying biodiversity make up the food of the earthworms that grow in shady moist places.


Contribution of Earthworms to Soil fertility in form of Worm casts (in kg./ ha.)


Nitrogen (N) Phosphorus (P) Potash (K)


General soil sample —- 340.2 40.8 380.7




Worm cast of Metaphire posthuma— 610.2 46.7 781.0


(Giant tropical earth worms of Orissa)




Initial soil sample —— 269.7 52.2 561.25


Worm casts of mixed species worms – 573.88 70.65 825.8


-do- Perionyx excavatus 558.2 61.9 611.52


-do- Eisenia foetida 698.92 90.36 861