Maharashtra comes closer to Nature

The main reasons for the state’s focus on organic farming, says State Agriculture Commissioner Sudhir Goyal, lie in the need to increase yield from dry farming and soil fertility, and stop environmental degradation.

This is probably as close as the department will ever get to admitting the ill effects of pesticides, which it has supported all these years.

But not all the inspiration for the project comes from high up the pecking order. Says N B Nagrale, Nagpur District Superintendent Agriculture Officer: ‘‘With a lot of farmers adopting natural ways of farming, pesticide use has fallen drastically in the last 3-4 years. This has provided a good launching pad for the project.’’

At the first state-level meeting of officials, NGOs and four agricultural universities in Pune last month, representatives feted 20 organic farmers and five activists for their work. Besides its 15,000-strong workforce, the Agriculture department has involved NGOs and individuals — not to mention the universities — in the programme.

Farmers and officials at the divisional, district and tehsil levels are already being imparted training on organic farming. The department also plans to keep in touch with farmers through activists and through workshops and symposia in every district. A detailed curriculum has been drafted for such programmes.

One thousand groups, comprising 100 farmers and covering 100 hectares each, are being established in areas that already have some experience with organic farming. Knowledgeable NGOs, individuals and government agencies will, in tandem, co-ordinate with farmers to help implement the project effectively. The government will partly fund the proposed 1,000 wormiculture projects and also help erect organic manure units in each division.

Notwithstanding villages like Ashta and Seldoh, which have gone in for organic farming entirely on their own, lack of government patronage so far kept the total number of organic farmers in the state to about one lakh from a total of three crore farmers. Three thousand of them are certified.

‘‘The total quantum of land under organic cultivation currently could be something like five lakh hectares,’’ says Manoharrao Parchure, one of the activists feted at Pune. ‘‘But I think the state will far exceed the 1 lakh hectare official target as the campaign could have a cascading effect.’’

Parchure’s 40-acre organic farm, located about 60 kms from here, is certified by Switzerland’s Institute of Marketing, and was even graced by a visit by Masanobu Fukoka, the father of natural farming, in 1997.

In recognition of Parchure’s influence, the state government has adopted the slogan of the NGO he founded and has prescribed a book written by him as reference material.

According to Parchure, organic farming pays dividends from the very first year. ‘‘The gains could be anything between Rs 2,000-10,000 per acre,’’ he says.

To help other farmers get to Parchure’s enviable level, the government has promised to provide them information about international registration; this will allow them to export their produce and even sell it in the domestic market for a handsome price.

The government will also aid centres and NGOs providing information for marketing of organic produce as also those with integrated facility for sale and purchase. There is also a proposal to sell all organic produce under one brand name in the state.

Well begun is half done, but the main problem is the deep-rooted pro-NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium) psyche. ‘‘The farmer needs to be convinced he can do without NPK,’’ Parchure says. And that may be easier said than done.