According to state Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel, the tribal district of Dang in eastern Gujarat will be declared a 100 percent organic farming district because the state government has taken steps to encourage farmers to avoid using chemical fertilisers and pesticides on the entire cultivable area.
Patel told reporters that the state government is giving each farmer in the predominantly hilly district a subsidy of Rs 10,000 per hectare for a maximum of two hectares for adopting organic agricultural practices.
"At an event on November 19, Gujarat's Dang will be proclaimed a 100 percent organic farming district for the first time in western India. Farmers in the district are using fertiliser and pesticide-free farming techniques" According to the minister.
According to him, the state utilizes 38 to 40 lakh tonnes of chemical fertilisers, for which the government pays a subsidy of Rs 4,200 to 4,300 crore.
According to Dang Collector B K Pandya, out of the district's almost 58,000 hectares under cultivation, at least 70% to 80% of the area is already covered by traditional farming practices that do not require chemical fertilisers or pesticides.
"Traditional farming is practiced by the majority of Dang's farmers. Rice and millet (nagali), the indigenous staple food, are grown in the remaining lands. In some areas, fertilisers are used to cultivate rice. The state government has revealed a plan to pay a subsidy to farmers who switch to organic agricultural practices and see a drop in productivity "Pandya explained.
According to him, the district government is in the midst of implementing the system, and roughly 12,000 farmers have received subsidies.
Farmers are also encouraged to use cow dung and urine, and they are given Rs 900 for cattle maintenance, he said.
"As for marketing, authorities within the state agricultural department will certify the product as organic so that it can be sold in the same way throughout the state and beyond," the collector explained.
The Gujarat government issued an organic farming strategy in 2015, stating that places with very low fertiliser consumption might play an essential role in organic farming development.
Due to the social-economic conditions of farmers and traditional agricultural patterns that need low use of pesticides, the tribal districts of Sabarkantha, Dahod, Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, and Valsad are considered to have significant potential for organic farming.
Apart from Dang district, the state initiative to support 100% organic farming practise also covers Dharampur and Kaprada talukas of Valsad and Vansda taluka of Navsari districts in south Gujarat, officials said.
In response to the state's chemical fertiliser deficit, the agriculture minister stated that the state government had provided enough amounts of urea, potash, and other fertilisers for growing on 94.93 lakh hectares this season.
"All of the fertilisers are plentiful throughout the state. Farmers do not need to purchase big quantities of fertilisers because they believe they are in short supply "Patel explained.
