Udhagamandalam: The announcements made in the agriculture budget regarding organic farming are a boon for the farmers of Nilgiris.
According to farmers here, the announcement of a separate wing for organic farming under the agriculture department will increase the importance of organic farming and speed up the procedural formalities while availing subsidy and other technical expertise. He also welcomed the plan to set up an Integrated Rural Agriculture Market in the Nilgiris.
Organic farming is being promoted and promoted by the Nilgiris District Administration under the ‘Organic Nilgiris Mission’ for the last two years. Although the hill district lacks a separate Agriculture Department, the Horticulture Department covers the cultivation of vegetables, millets and tea plantations.
According to Shiv Subramaniam Samaj, Joint Director of Horticulture Department, the district is top in the state in the number of organic farmers. Under the Collective Farming Scheme, 4,800 farmers here have obtained SCOPE certificates from the Department of Organic Certification, Tamil Nadu.
Farmers have to reach Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district to market their produce. “An integrated rural agriculture market in the Nilgiris is the need of the hour,” said Samraj. “We had sent a proposal to the government for the market. The farmers of Nilgiris have welcomed the announcement made in this regard in the Agriculture Budget Session.
Seven acres of land has been identified for the market at Bettatti Sangam in Coonoor taluk, which will have an exclusive market for organic products and sales centers for value-added products.
K Ramdas, an organic farmer from Dimbatti village, said the proposed market would attract buyers from across the state. “We request the government to give more subsidy for organic farming,” he said.
Four labs have been set up in the district for bio-fertilizer production. Under the schemes of the Horticulture Department, 200 vermicompost units have been set up by the farmers. The department is also producing liquid fertilizers like Daskavia and Panchkaviya for the farmers engaged in organic farming.
800 small tea growers associated with Kinnakore Indco tea factory have been brought under the umbrella of SCOPE certification, which has a total area of 600 acres.
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