Organic Farming Policy for Tamilnadu - some thoughts...

The Organic Farming Policy draft that was half heartedly prepared by the Horticulture Department couple of years ago is not the best one to push forward, it is at the most a least acceptable compromise between several people though it did have  a few good parts. It may be best to start making specific demands. I do think we need to seek the following as key points:

1. A comprehensive Organic Farming Policy for the state as a means to revive the agricultural activity in the State that has seen overall decline in farming in the last several years

2. An Organic Farming University in the name of Dr. Nammazhvar where practicing organic farmers become teachers and season wise and crop wise courses are conducted hands-on in the field

3. Declaring of the western ghat regions of the state as organic ‘bio-diversity’ conservation regions

4. Similarly protecting and nurturing of the millets intense cultivation regions of the state – kolli, javadhu and kalvarayan hill regions of the eastern ghats as nutrition producing zones and there by organic. This will also stop the infiltration of the BtCotton cultivation that is creeping into these parts. I heard that a Namakkal Collector issued an order not to cultivate Bt Cotton in Kolli Hills and then it stopped, similarly all these areas too need to be protected

5. A clear policy statement on not promoting the GM technology  - the statement by the Agricultural Minister in the Assembly, ‘oru derava sonna 100 derava sonna maadhiri’ last year needs to be reminded and converted into a policy statement

6. A panel of experts consisting of practicing Organic farmers to be formed in each agro-climatic zone in the state to prepare a comprehensive ‘package of practices’ specific for the zone in a time bound manner

7. Focused implementation of the 100 day employment scheme components that are to do with the promotion and nurturing of sustainable agriculture practices, there are several of these in the new notification issued on the MGNREGS May 2014 list. Since early this year I think the State government also has revised its earlier stand on the investment on materials as part of the MGNREGS (it was stopped earlier and now it has been revived), this too may be used to set-up / construct organic farming related small structures (as it has been done in AP successfully)

8. The current ruling party had promised a centralized organic bio-input production unit in every block in their earlier election manifesto, they ought to be reminded of this and as the election year is approaching, they need to be asked to fulfill this promise apart from setting up an organic farmers market in every block

9. just like Amma canteen is currently also starting to once in awhile serve millets, they can be encouraged to serve ‘organic meal’ once a week if not more often

10. All temples in the state are doing annadaanam as part of the government scheme, it may be worthwhile to seek the government to make the “Holy” Food also “Safe” and ensure that all temples (and other places of faith that serve such food under the government scheme) only serve Organic Food