Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah Focuses on Health Aspects of Fertilizers
- Chemicals in fertilizers cause health issues like hypertension, diabetes, thyroid, and cancer.
- Organic farming is linked to the health of 140 crore Indians.
- A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Co-operative Organics Limited (NCOL) and Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board (UOCB).
- Shah stresses that it is through organic farming and cooperatives that India will become the largest organic food producing country of the world.
National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) Overview
- Platform that allows Indian farmers to market their organic products.
- Founded under Multi State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002 in 2023.
- Headquartered in Anand, Gujarat.
- Plan to sell organic products inside India and abroad.
- Hands over about 50 percent of the profit to farmer members.
- National Dairy Development Board promotes it.
- Full supply chain of organic product is covered.
- One of the three cooperatives the government established.
Organic Farming
Organic farming also referred to as ecological or biological farming is a way of farm operation that incorporates naturally available, non-synthetic input like compost manure, green manure, and bone meal
Crop rotation, intercropping, and growing companions. Encouragement of biologically controlled pests: promotion of beneficial insects .
Arise in the early 20th century. In a response to increasing rapidly changes in farming system.
- Certified organic agriculture represents 70 million hectares of land globally, with over half of these in Australia.
- Organic standards allow the use of naturally occurring substances but prohibit or limit severely synthetic substances.
- Organic farming is based on the principles of health, care for all living beings and the environment, ecology, and fairness.
- Organic farming is internationally regulated and legally enforced by transnational organizations and individual nations.
- Organic food and other product market has been growing fast since 1990. Today, the organic food market is worth $150 billion worldwide.
- By 2022, 188 countries have been involved in organic farming. It accounts for about 96,000,000 hectares of land farmed organically by 4.5 million farmers.
