Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh has said that organic farming has the potential to provide livelihood to farmers and create employment opportunities for rural and urban people. The Minister said that the government launched a new initiative the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) in 2015-16. From 2015-16 to 2018-19, Rs 1307 crore has been allocated to promote organic farming on cluster mode in the country. With the successful implementation of PKVY, Mission Organic Value Chain Development (MOVCD) and APEDA, more than 23.02 lakh hectares have been brought under certified organic farming till date in the country.

He added that the demand for Indian organic produce is high in the global market. During 2016-17, India produced 15 lakh tonne organic produce, where in, the export volume was 3.64 lakh tonne with value of Rs 2478 crore whereas the domestic market size is estimated at Rs 2000 crore which is expected to touch Rs 10000 crore in the next three years.

The Minister called for adoption of organic farming and reducing dependence on chemical fertiliser and pesticide. He asserted it is imperative that we protect our environment, soil health and fertility, mitigate climate change & global warming and achieve sustainable & nutritional security. He expressed happiness over NCOF developing multi-action waste decomposer and its simple mass multiplication technology for farmers.