Kerala Government forms Organic Farming Mission to boost climate-smart agriculture

Kerala Govt. creates Organic Farming Mission to expand sustainable farming practices. Mission aims to expand organic farming to 5,000 hectares in 5 yrs. Govt. mandates 10% of State Agriculture dept. farms for organic farming. Mission to focus on certification, branding, marketing, value addition & access to quality seeds & production materials. Governing council & executive committee to manage mission.

The Kerala Government has created an Organic Farming Mission to encourage the adoption of sustainable organic and climate-smart farming practices in the State.

The mission aims at expanding organic farming to 5,000 hectares in Kerala in the next five years through an annual target of 1,000 hectares.

Kerala Agriculture Minister P. Prasad announced the formation of the Mission in Thiruvananthapuram on November 8, 2023. The government had formally issued orders related to the mission on October 26, 2023.

In farms run by the State Agriculture department, at least 10% of the area will be set aside for organic farming practices. Another mandate of the mission is to make sure that selected beneficiaries/farms of organic farming schemes pursue the system at least for five years.

In 2010, the Kerala Government had announced the Organic Farming Policy. In its election manifesto, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) had also promised an institutionalised mechanism for promoting organic farming.

The mission will take steps to expand the system for certification, branding and marketing of organic agricultural products from Kerala. An organic farming protocol, which is in sync with protocols prevalent at the national and international levels, will be implemented as part of the activities for improving the marketing potential.

The mission will also focus on value addition of organic products.