INDIA
Location
India fills the major part of the South Asian subcontinent
(which it shares with Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh) and
includes the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and
Lakshadweep (formerly the Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands)
in the Arabian Sea. The total area is 3,287,590 km2. India is
bordered on the North by the disputed area of Jammu and Kashmir
(west of the Karakoram Pass), China, Nepal, and Bhutan; on the East
by Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the Bay of Bengal; on the South by the
Indian Ocean; on the West by the Arabian Sea; and on the North West
by Pakistan. The monsoon is the predominant feature of India's
climate and helps to divide the year into four seasons: rainy, the
southwest monsoon, June-September; moist, the retreating monsoon,
October-November; dry cool, the northeast monsoon, December-March;
hot, April-May. The southwest monsoon brings from the Indian Ocean
the moisture on which Indian agriculture relies.
Agricultural Sector
The agricultural sector in India accounts for 18.6% of the
GDP and involves 60% of the total labour force. During the past
five years the agricultural sector has witnessed a huge increase in
the production and productivity of food grains, oilseeds,
commercial crops, fruits, vegetables, poultry and dairy. India has
emerged as the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in
the world. In addition, it is also the largest overseas exporter of
cashews and spices. Other agricultural products include: cotton,
jute, tea, sugarcane, cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry,
and fish (FAOSTAT, 2005-06). The land use is divided as follows:
arable land 49%, permanent crops 3%, other 47% (CIA, 2007)
Brief overview of organic farming
According to the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD), organic production in India has been growing
steadily in the last years. In India, there has been a remarkable
growth in organic farming and 332 new organic certifications were
issued during 2004. The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
(FiBL) reports a total 12,000 organic farms operating in the
country in 2003. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products
Export Development Authority (APEDA) estimated 200.000 hectares of
certified organic land, mainly cultivated by smallholder producers.
Recently, an increasing number of companies, NGOs, farmer
organizations, and government agencies have been promoting organic
agriculture in India. The growth in organic production has been
driven mainly by the increasing international demand, but the
domestic market is also strengthening due to a large population and
increasing wealth (IFAD).
Brief overview of key organic products
Certified organic produce from India includes tea, rice,
bananas, cotton, wheat, spices (mainly pepper and ginger), coffee,
nuts, pulses, and herbal products. Most of these products are sold
in semi-processed or raw forms (IFOAM & FiBL, 2006). Most
organic farms produce are for the international markets, but there
is an emerging small domestic market.
The network
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA) has set up a Programme for Organic
Production (NPOP) in order to promote and support the organic
sector in India. INDOCERT is one of the national certification
body, accredited by NPOP, which has technical collaboration with
FiBL and bio.inspecta and is financially supported by SECO. Organic
production has attracted over the past years an increasing
political recognition by the Indian government both at central and
local level. In November 2006, the second edition of India Organic
2006 took place in Lalbagh, Bangalore. This organic business trade
fair was organised by the International Competence Center for
Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) with the active support of IFOAM and
the Government of Switzerland (SECO). Both ICCOA and IFOAM set up a
joint initiative in Bangalore. The centre aims at promoting nation
wide adoption the principles of organic agriculture, taking
advantage of the opportunities provided by the large development of
organic stakeholders in India. There are on-going projects of
organic cotton cultivation run by Maikaal BioRe India.
Department of Agriculture & Cooperation
(Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India)
http://agricoop.nic.in/
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development
Authority (APEDA)
(Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India)
NCUI Building
3, Siri Institutional Area, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi - 110
016
Phone : +91 (11) 265 13204, 265 14572, 265 34186
Fax : : +91 (11) 265 26187
E-mail: headq(at)apeda.com
http://www.apeda.com/
INDOCERT
Thottumugham P.O.
Alwaye - 5
Ernakulam Dt.
Kerala-India
Phone / Fax: +91 (11) (484) 263 0908, 263 0909, 263 0910, 262
0943
E-mail: info(at)indocert.org
http://www.indocert.org/
ICCOA/IFOAM
951C, 15th Cross, 8th Main
Ideal Homes Township,
Rajarajeshwari Nagar,
Bangalore - 560098
Tel : +91 (80) 656 82830
Fax: +91 (80) 286 00935
E-mail: info(at)iccoa.org
http://www.iccoa.org/
http://www.ifoam.org/
References
- CIA FactBook, 31.05.07
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html
- FAO, 24.10.2006: Key Statistics of Food and Agriculture
External Trade. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United
Nations (FAO), Statistics Division.
www.fao.org/es/ess/toptrade/trade.asp?dir=exp&country=3&ryear=2004
and www.fao.org/es/ess/top/country.html?lang=en
- IFOAM & FiBL (2006): The World of Organic Agriculture.
Statistics and Emerging Trends 2006. International Federation of
Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Bonn & Research
Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Frick, pp. 108-117.
- FAO Statistical Year Book, (2005-06)
http://www.fao.org/statistics/yearbook/vol_1_2/pdf/India.pdf
- http://www.apeda.com/
- http://www.iccoa.org/
- http://unstats.un.org/unsd/comtrade/default.aspx
- https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/in.html
- http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/around_world/india.html
- http://www.biore.ch/index.php?id=1&L=1
-
http://orgprints.org/2768/01/eyhorn-2004-Organic_Agriculture_in_India.pdf