SHILLONG: The Agriculture Department has assured to help aggrieved farmers with subsidized bio-fertilizers to fulfill the organic farming mission of the State Government.
Recently, hundreds of farmers who did not get subsidized chemical fertilizers during the transition period from in-organic to organic farming staged protests in the state capital.
Principal Secretary in charge Agriculture, P Kharkongor told reporters that the Government last year stopped the subsidy for chemical fertilizers to encourage the farmers to take up organic farming.
During the transition period, the Government, however, urged the Centre to provide 6,900 tonnes of urea to the farmers which, however, will be disbursed without subsidy.
“We want to discourage the farmers from resorting to the use of subsidized chemical fertilizers, hence, we decided to do away with the subsidy,” Kharkongor said.
According to Kharkongor, the State Government will provide subsidized bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides gradually as the Government is planning to cover one lakh hectares as organic within five years.
“The target is to make 20,000 hectares per year as organic as per the Mission Organic launched in 2014 by the State Government,” Kharkongor said.
Turmeric, cashew, pineapple and other crops will be certified as organic products after going through organic farming.
“As of now tea available from Umsning tea gardens have been certified as organic,” Kharkongor said, adding that farmers in Umwang are cultivating cauliflowers organically.
‘MEG Tea’ available in three varieties Green, Oolong and Black is currently being marketed as organic certified tea. The varieties of Meghalaya tea were certified by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, Government of India and M/S Control Union India.
The Government is looking at the conversion of agriculture areas under the use of fertilizers to organic which will help the farmers to have products of organic farming.
