Kerala Department of Agriculture to Establish Organic Agriculture Mission in 2022

According to Kerala Minister of Agriculture P. Prasad, the agriculture department will launch an organic farming mission in 2022 to ensure the production of safe food.

Food production in 2022 will focus on health protection, Prasad said during a media briefing as part of a two-day workshop on “Carbon Neutral Agriculture in Kerala” organized by the Agriculture department on Thursday and Friday.

By integrating the recommendations and suggestions of the workshop, the department will implement programs aimed at achieving carbon neutrality in the agricultural sector.

Farmers will receive training in carbon-reducing farming methods. Prasad said workshops on carbon neutral agriculture will be held in all panchayats. He also said the ministry intends to implement unit-level (individual farms) benchmarks as part of assessing emission levels.

Carbon footprint

According to the experts who attended the workshop, assessing the carbon footprint is the first step towards achieving carbon neutral agriculture in the state. How to go about reducing carbon dioxide emissions is the second.

Prasant Kumar Swain, Additional Secretary (Agriculture), Government of India; SM Vijayanand, Chairman of the State Finance Commission; T. Vijay Kumar, Ex-Officio Special Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh (Natural Agriculture); Members of the State Planning Board, experts from various institutes including Kerala Forest Research Institute, peechi; Kerala Agricultural University, and Forest Research Institute, Dehradun attended the event.

Advantages of organic farming:

• Organic farming in India is particularly profitable as it does not rely on expensive fertilizers, pesticides or HYV seeds to sow the crops. He has no expenses.

• A farmer can get a strong return on investment by using cheaper and more local inputs. This is one of the most important advantages of organic farming in India.

• Organic products are in great demand in India and across the world, and they can earn more income through export.

• Organic products are more nutritious, tasty and beneficial to health than the chemicals and fertilizers used.

These are some of the benefits of organic farming, showing that it is lucrative for everyone. To support organic farming in India, we need to create awareness about the benefits of organic farming.