Gujarat has declared Dang as the first 100% organic farming district in the state. Raghavji Patel, the minister of Agriculture, Gujarat said recently that the farmers in the district of Dang will be adopting 100% organic methods and components for cultivating their crops. Dang borders with Navsari and Tapi District of Gujarat and share’s the sttate border with Maharasthra.
“For the first time in western India, Gujarat’s Dang will be declared a 100 per cent organic farming district by the governor at a programme on November 19. Farmers in the district are adopting farming techniques that are fertiliser and pesticide free,” the minister announced. Patel said that the state government will provide a subsidy of Rs. 10,000 per hectare to a farmer with a maximum of two hectares land.
The district collector B K Pandya shared that most area of Dang is under cultivation using traditional farming practices where no chemical pesticides and chemicals are involved. “A majority of farmers in Dang use traditional farming. In the remaining areas, they cultivate rice and millet (nagali), the local staple food. They use fertilisers to cultivate rice in certain pockets. The state government has announced a scheme to provide a subsidy to compensate farmers for fall in production by adopting organic farming practices,” Pandya said.
For the implementation of this scheme, almost 12,000 farmers have been given subsidies till now. The famers have been suggested to use cow dung as a nourishment of their crops. Pandya said that the farmers are being Rs. 900 for the maintenance of their cattle.
To increase the marketing scope for the farmers, their produce will be marked organic. “As for marketing, agencies through the state agriculture department will certify the produce as organic so that they can be similarly marketed all over the state and outside,” the collector added.
In addition to that, the tribal districts of Gujarat such as Sabarkantha, Dahod, Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Surat, Tapi and Valsad have high potential for organic farming due to the socio-economic condition of farmers and traditional cropping pattern that requires minimal use of chemicals.
