The Hindu Business Line : FAO to launch project for organic farming

THE Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is gearing up to kick off two major initiatives that will work towards the reduction of external inputs like chemical pesticides and encourage organic farming methods in India.

The FAO is also working on a project on food insecurity in Orissa and Himachal Pradesh, in collaboration with the respective State Governments, to collect data on vulnerable sections of the population and work towards resolution of recurrent poverty issues while keeping in mind the livelihoods of these sections, Mr Daniel Gustafson, FAO representative in India and Bhutan, has said.

Mr Gustafson, who was here to participate in a workshop aimed at improving banana production in the country, said the organisation would launch a $1.4-million project that will take up the organic production of medicinal plants across various geographies in the country. The three-year project, beginning in January 2005, will also include either Nashik or Akola in Maharashtra and will also work in collaboration with BAIF Development Research Foundation at Wadi in Maharashtra where the latter has an orchard production project on wastelands, he said.

"Medicinal plants have a huge demand both on the domestic front and the export markets and our project will work towards inculcating best practices like organic cultivation to increase quality and acceptance in the market,'' he said adding that a significant part of the project will also be about training small farmers in marketing their produce better.

"Small farmers coming together to market their produce stand to get much better returns on their investments,'' he pointed out.

FAO, meanwhile, is also looking at launching an integrated pest management project in Maharashtra for cotton, which will work towards reducing external inputs like pesticides in the cultivation with a view to reducing cost of production.

Mr Gustafson, who attended the workshop on banana production for small farmers held at the agriculture college here said there was an urgent need for the Government to tap the country's ability to produce top quality bananas and develop further value addition in the segment by putting in place high quality post-harvesting systems. "Harvesting the fruit at the right temperature, treating it immediately, having the right ripening chambers and packing it in boxes are imperative for ensuring larger shelf life for the perishable fruit,'' he pointed out. "Production of about 16 million tonnes of the fruit in the country is phenomenal but the way the fruit is handled post-harvesting leaves much to be desired," he said adding that the Government, the private sector and the farmers themselves have to invest in post-harvest handling infrastructure, if they want to capture the domestic market and eventually the export market.

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