Organic farming blooming in the state

Despite of the present Covid situation, organic farming is slowly pacing up in Tripura as it helps the farmers to get higher market value. Organic farming is being done under ‘Mission Organic Value Chain Development for Northeast Region’ (MOVCD-NER) scheme Phase-II, a central scheme launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare in all the North-eastern states.

The scheme aims to develop certified organic production in a value chain mode and connect the farmers with purchasers, to support the entire process from inputs, seeds, certification, to the creation of facilities for collection, aggregation, processing, marketing and brand building.

A farmer’s organisation with 512 farmers in Unakoti district ‘Unakoti Organic Farmer Producers Company Ltd’ registered under Company Act 1956, has been setting an example by growing crops organically on 500 ha. land in Unakoti under MOVCD-NER Phase-II scheme since 2019 where pineapple is being grown on 400 ha. area and turmeric is being grown on 100 ha. area.

This is a 5-year project in which the government is providing help for three years. They have also registered e-marketplace which is a user-friendly online portal, a government initiative on which the details of farmer’s produce are being updated and the buyers from outside the state can make deals easily.

Organic farming under this scheme is being done in four blocks of the district. These are Jamtolbari ADC village in Chandipur block, Deora and Unakoti ADC village in Gournagar block, Rajkandi, Saidachara and Demdum ADC village in Kumarghat block, Andarchara and Nabinchara ADC village in Pecharthal block. Chorporilal Halam, son of Banphailal Halam from Jamtolbari ADC village in Chandipur block is successfully growing pineapples on 0.5 ha. land and turmeric on 0.2 ha. land in organic way. He thanks the government for providing this kind of opportunity for them.

Rema Darlong, son of Chorporilal Darlong from Unakoti ADC village in Gournagar block is growing pineapples on 0.3 ha. land and turmeric on 0.4 ha. land. Jogendra Debnath, son of Nandalal Debnath from Rajkandi ADC village in Kumarghat block is growing pineapples on 0.7 ha. land and turmeric on 0.25 ha. land. Kripa Charan Chakma, son of Arun Kumar Chakma from Nabinchara ADC village in Pecharthal block is growing pineapples on 0.8 ha. land and turmeric on 0.2 ha. land as informed by agriculture officer Bijan Sharma in a telephonic interview.

Organic Farmer’s Organisation has been delivering huge orders and has just recently exported Kew variety pineapples and turmeric to Kolkata for the purchaser ‘Big Basket’ with the help of SIMFED, a FPO promoting agency. Hope that in this way Tripura can set a benchmark on its own in organic farming in coming years.