Organic farming sector to touch `100 bn’

V

Veena Annadana

Well-Known Member
New Delhi, July 10: The Indian organic farming sector is likely to be worth Rs.100 billion by 2015 and will create millions of jobs, a leading industry lobby said Sunday.
The current market is worth Rs.2,500 crore, said the study, “Organic Products-The Way Ahead”, conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).
“The Indian organic food market is growing at a steady rate of 40 percent annually,” said Assocham Secretary General D.S. Rawat.
It can create millions of jobs as it can spur over 30 percent of employment per hectare as against non-organic farming, according to Assocham

Source: Organic farming sector to touch 100 bn Lastupdate:- Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:30:00 GMT GreaterKashmir.com
 

Food Security Depends on the Truth of Science

By V.K.V. Ravichandran: Tamil Nadu, India

Investigators are still trying to determine the root cause of the E. coli outbreak in Germany, but they already know the grim death toll: 50 lives gone as of last weekend, due to the consumption of bean sprouts contaminated by a new strain of the bacteria.


The source of fatalities may be an organic farm in Germany or possibly seeds grown in Egypt. What we know for certain right now is that the solution to the problem of food-borne illness is technology—and that’s true whether we’re talking about advanced nations in Europe or developing countries, such as my own, in Asia and Africa.

Yet many influential advocacy groups seem to think otherwise. These self-appointed guardians of our food supply fight modern farming practices like biotechnology and irradiation—approaches to agriculture that might have stopped the spread of the deadly German affliction. They would have jumped all over a health crisis that implicates genetically modified crops, for example. When the potential culprit is the primitive techniques of the organic food industry, however, they hush up and hope the unpleasantness simply will go away.

Here in India, we may pay dearly for their silence because we desperately need access to the best agricultural methods in order to produce safe food as well as enough of it.

By some estimates, India must double its food output by 2020 just to keep up with a booming population. At the same time, we’re seeing reliable farm hands flee from rural areas for improved economic opportunities in cities. So when our nation needs its farmers to produce more, we’re forced to make do with less help.

Biotechnology offers one way out of this dilemma. As an Indian farmer who grows Bt cotton, I’ve seen its potential firsthand. I’ve grown biotech cotton since it was first approved for commercial cultivation in 2002. It’s nothing less than a miracle crop that requires fewer resources and produces greater yields than old-fashioned cotton. Most cotton farmers agree with me: I suspect that more than 90 percent of India’s cotton famers take advantage of biotechnology.

Yet our government has refused to approve biotechnology in food crops such as brinjal (eggplant), in large part because political activists have created a phony controversy fueled by scientific ignorance.

The enemies of biotechnology are always touting the "precautionary principle," which is the European idea that innovations must be shown to be completely risk-free before the public can take advantage of them. This is a virtually impossible test to meet and it stands in the way of Indian progress in agriculture.

Applying this same standard to organic agriculture probably would wipe out the whole industry. Many Indian farmers, including a lot of organic farmers, use a traditional crop-protection tool called panchagavya. Its ingredients include cow dung and cow urine. Indian farmers have used panchagavya for generations and I’m personally convinced that it’s safe. But there’s also little doubt in my mind that if European farmers were to seek permission to use panchagavya, they would have a hard time winning approval from regulators who rely on the precautionary principle.

The double-standard is maddening. Biotech crops are built to resist the pests and infections that create pathways to disease, including E. coli infections—and yet they’re treated with insurmountable levels of suspicion by activist groups that claim to care about our food supply. The same is true with irradiation, a treatment that might very well have destroyed the E. coli in those German bean sprouts. In a terrible irony, the German government once blocked a European Commission proposal to make more use of irradiation, possibly even turning it into what some have called "the fourth pillar of public health," alongside the chlorination of water, the vaccination of children, and the pasteurization of milk and other liquids.

We won’t ever completely eliminate diseases from our food—but we can contain them, if we’re willing to embrace biotechnology and irradiation.

I’m hopeful that India will live up to its national motto: "sathyameva jayate." In Sanskrit, that means "truth alone triumphs." When it comes to food security, our obligation is to listen to the truth of science rather than the lies of scaremongers.

Mr. V.K.V. Ravichandran owns a 60 acre farm at Poongulam Village in Tamil Nadu, India where he grows rice, sugar cane, cotton and pulses (small grains). Mr. Ravichandran is a member of the Truth About Trade and Technology Global Farmer Network.

Source: http://www.agweb.com/blog/The_Truth_223/food_security_depends_on_the_truth_of_science/
 

Area under organic farming rises to 4.4 million hectares

Area under organic farming has grown many-fold in six years to 2009-10 in India on the back of thrust given to the chemical-free mode of cultivation.

From 42,000 hectares under organic certification in 2003-04, more than 4.4 million hectares area was under organic certification in the country as on March 2010, an official statement said here on Tuesday.

For quality assurance, India has internationally acclaimed certification process in place for export, import and domestic markets.

During 2008-09, India produced about 18.78 lakh tonnes of certified organic products.

Of this, nearly 54,000 tonne food items worth Rs. 591 crore were exported. With more than 77,000 tonnes of organic cotton link production, India became the largest organic cotton grower in the world a year ago.

Indian organic exports include cereals, pulses, honey, tea, spices, oil seeds, fruits, vegetables, cotton fibre, cosmetics and body care products.

The Ministry of Agriculture is promoting organic farming in the country under National Project on Organic Farming, National Horticulture Mission, Technology Mission for North East and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

National Project on Organic Farming is being implemented since October 2004 through a National Centre of Organic Farming at Ghaziabad and six Regional Centres located at Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Hissar, Imphal, Jabalpur, and Nagpur.

The project supports organic input production infrastructure, technical capacity building of stake holders, human resource development through training, statutory quality control of organic inputs, technology development and dissemination, market development and awareness.

Under the National Horticulture Mission and Technology Mission for North East, assistance is provided at rate of 50 per cent of cost subject to a maximum of Rs. 10,000 per hectare (up to 4 hectares per beneficiary) for organic horticulture cultivation.

Assistance is also provided for setting up vermi-compost units at the rate of 50 per cent of cost up to Rs. 30,000 per beneficiary.

Assistance of Rs. 5 lakh is provided to a group of farmers covering an area of 50 hectares for organic farming certification.

Under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, States are being assisted for area expansion of organic food crops, capacity building of farmers and organic input production.

Source: The Hindu : Sci-Tech / Agriculture : Area under organic farming rises to 4.4 million hectares
 

BioFach NewsLetter 252- Part I

1. Canada's organic standards now mandatory

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) consulted with the organic
sector to build upon the pre-existing industry self-regulated standards.
The 2009 regulations made Canada's organic standards mandatory for both
domestic and imported products, and launched the now familiar
“Biologique Canada Organic” logo, which allows consumers to identify
products that meet Canada's organic requirements. The CFIA oversees and
enforces the organic certification system, as well as organic claims in
the marketplace. During a 2-year “phase-in” period until June 30th 2011,
the CFIA managed minor non-compliances through notification and
education, requiring correction within reasonable timelines.

Organic Trade Association's Organic Newsroom: Canada?s Organic Rules in Full Force

2. Equivalency agreement between EU and Canada

The EU and Canada have reached agreement on an equivalency in organic
products.
Respective decisions on organic equivalency follow long and intensive
discussions between the European Commission and Canadian authorities.
The review of each other's rules for organic production and control
systems have led to the conclusion that in the EU and Canada the rules
governing production and controls of organic agricultural products are
equivalent to those laid down in each other's legislation.
Furthermore, both sides carried out on-the-spot checks of the production
rules and control measures applied in the EU and Canada.

Agreement between EU and Canada on equivalency in Organic Products - Agriculture and rural development - European Commission

3. Seeking second Green Revolution with organic agriculture

After good roads, improving law and order, education and health
services, Bihar is turning its attention to popularising and promoting
organic farming in the state to usher in a new "Green Revolution" in
agriculture. The state government has already decided to promote organic
farming in at least one village of the state's 37 districts.
"The Bihar government launched an 'organic farming promotion programme'
early this year for the cultivation of organic crops in all the
districts. The government has decided to develop organic grams (organic
villages), for which a sum of Rs.255 crore has been sanctioned for five
years," an official of the agriculture department said. Agriculture is
the backbone of Bihar's economy, employing 81 percent of the workforce,
and generating nearly 42 percent of the state's domestic product, it
says.

Seeking second Green Revolution, Bihar turns to organic farming - Times Of India

4. China: Organic market quadruples in five years

"Organic food has become more and more popular in recent years," said a
saleswoman called Wang at a Beijing Ito Yokado Store, which supplies a
range of organic food from Xiaotangshan in Beijing's Changping district.
"Sales of organic food are especially good during the weekend when
people stay at home and have the time to cook their own meals."
According to Ursula Chen, a former consultant to the United States
Agricultural Trade Office in Guangzhou, nearly all supermarkets on the
Chinese mainland have doubled their shelf space for organic goods.
Imported organic products are also available in some high-end retail
stores.
The Chinese consumers are now believed to consume more than twice as
much organic food as health-conscious Japan. The Chinese government
statistics show the market is worth about 10 billion yuan ($1.55
billion), having quadrupled over the past five years.

5. UAE: More organic production wanted

Plans are afoot to group and sell organic products from the UAE at a
weekly market, according to a statement by the Ministry of Environment
and Water in Dubai, reports the online news portal of Gulf News. The
ministry is also trying to find suitable means of marketing products
from organic farms in the private sector. 28 farms have been certified
by the ministry as growing fruit and vegetables organically throughout
the UAE. All farms producing organic products must be registered and
approved by the ministry and are also supervised, Mariam Al Shenasi,
Executive Director for Technical Affairs in the Ministry of Environment
and Water, said. In future, all organic products from farms in the UAE
will have to bear a sticker stating this.

gulfnews : Ministry seeks to promote organic products

6. Peru: Strong increases of organic exports

Peru’s organic product exports reached $46 million between January and
March this year, up 48 percent compared to the same period last year,
PromPerú reports. Organic bananas led exports in the first quarter of
2011 with sales of $17 million, an 18 percent increase. The main markets
are the United States, Belgium and Germany. Organic coffee ranked second
at $16 million, with the main importers of this product being the United
States and Germany.
Organic cacao was the third largest export product with $5 million, a 34
percent increase.
Netherlands tops the list of target markets for Peruvian organic
products with a 28 percent share and $13 million in purchases, which
represented an increase of 24 percent in the first quarter of last year.
The United States ranked second with 23 percent of total orders and $10
million of sales, which represented a 52 percent increase. In third
place was Germany with 12 percent of the market.

Living in Peru News Exports of organic products from Peru increase
 

BioFach NewsLetter 252- Part II

7. German Vegetarian Association: More part-time vegetarians

A growing number of Germans are sceptical about eating meat, says a
press report from the Vegetarian Association. Almost two-thirds (65 %)
of all women and 38 % of men are already part-time vegetarians. This is
shown by a current Forsa study on behalf of the organization in
cooperation with the soya processor Tofutown. The number of people who
say they do not eat any meat on at least three days of the week are also
clearly in a majority among the elderly (63 %) and people with a
secondary school education (53 %). According to the Vegetarian
Association, there are already over 42 million “part-time vegetarians”
or “flexitarians”, as they are also called. Traders and restaurateurs
are advised to plan more for the needs of consumers with a smaller
demand for meat when choosing product ranges and the order of courses.
Vegetarian lifestyles will become increasingly important in the future,
says the Vegetarian Association.

Aktuelle Forsa-Umfrage zeigt: In Deutschland leben über 42 Millionen Teilzeitvegetarier - VEBU - Vegetarierbund Deutschland

8. Organic Food Festival in September in Bristol

“The Organic Food Festival is a celebration of all that sustainable food
and farming is and can be. I urge you to come along and enjoy the best
of organic produce, health and beauty products and textiles – and talk
to the people that grew, nurtured or produced them,” says Monty Don,
president of the Soil Association. This year's event will take place on
3 - 4th September 2011 at the Bristol Harbourside. Over 150 organic food
and drink producers will be present, celebrity chef demonstrations, live
bands, livestock, kids taste experience, health and beauty products,
sheep show as well as organic fashion and textiles. The Organic Food
Festival 2010 was a great success with over 20,000 visitors enjoying a
sunny, fun-filled weekend.

Organic Food Festival | 3-4 September 2011 | Bristol Harbourside

9. Germany: Regional label on the way

The Federal Association of Regional Movements invited the regional
marketing initiatives to their first nationwide conference in Fulda at
the end of June. With the aim of preserving the positive image of
regional products and protecting themselves against suppliers of
products falsely claimed as originating from the region, the conference
participants overwhelmingly supported the introduction of a regional
label.
The nationwide Regional Action Day takes place again from 23.9 to
9.10.2011. These events serve to strengthen regional economic cycles and
demonstrate sustainable economic and consumption forms and fair
treatment of the environment and fellow human beings. Last year, five
project partners from four German states were awarded one of the coveted
money prizes in a competition for the Regional Action Days.

Die Regionalbewegung: Aktuelles
(http://redirect2.mailingwork.de/redirect.php?id=6839024&U=MTEwMTAzMQ==&V=Tg==&PCT=false)
Startseite
(Startseite)


10. Animal welfare label in preparation

Scientists at Göttingen University have joined forces with animal rights
groups, meat producing and processing companies, and trading companies
to develop an overarching animal welfare label, reports
Lebensmittelpraxis, LPcompact. A two-stage procedure is planned based on
the key points currently being drawn up as agreed in the “Animal
Wellbeing Label Initiative”. The first stage will review aspects such as
the structuring of keeping animals, the place and the opportunities for
activity, also the ban on docking or the castration of pigs without the
use of anaesthetics. There are also to be strict animal welfare
standards for transport and slaughtering, and criteria such as access to
runs and free-range husbandry are to be added later. The label will be
awarded by the Animal Welfare Association.

Tierschutzlabel - Details sind in Arbeit - Lebensmittel Praxis

11. France: Test of package information for consumers

The test phase of a one-year trial for improving consumer information on
packages starts in France on 1 July. Consumers will be informed about
the environmental effects of products at the POS, in the product
catalogue or on the package. Several cosmetic companies are taking part
in this trial, including L’Occitane en Provence, L’Oréal with its
Garnier brand, the Brazilian brand Natura, and Weleda. Biodegradable
packages of renewable raw materials such as those from the company
Leoplast make it possible to positively influence the environmental
balance of the products, according to information from the company. This
leads to a noticeable saving of fossil energy sources and a significant
CO2 reduction.

www.premiumbeautynews.com/France-to-test-environmenta
(Premium Beauty News - France to test environmental information as of July)
www.premiumbeautynews.com/France-Teething-troubles-for
(Premium Beauty News - France: Teething troubles for environmental information)
 

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