To create awareness among the farmers about organic farming and organic certification process, the Agriculture Department has proposed to raise 100% organic farm clusters in three villages of Tamil Nadu.
The clusters would come up in 50 acres each in Peraiyur in Kamuthi, Muthuvijayapuram in Mudukulathur and Mummudisathan in Nainarkoil blocks, said S. S. Shaiek Abdullah, Assistant Director of seed certification, while giving details of the scheme at a programme organised here recently.
To raise organic crops by following the stipulated procedures and under the direct supervision of the department officials, five farmers have come forward and the farmers were given the option of selecting the crops, he added.
He also informed that, officials after periodically inspecting the farms and checking the records would issue organic certificates to the farmers. These farmers were among the 40 farmers who participated in the awareness programme, organised by the Agriculture Technology Marketing Agency (ATMA) in coordination with the Tamil Nadu Organic Certification Department at DARE (Dharani Agro Research and Rural Empowerment) Foundation’s organic farm at Ettivayal.
The field experiences was shared by Dharani R. Murugesan, chairman of the Foundation, the only organic certificate holder in the district and Mr. Hussain, an expert in organic farming from Dindigul. He also explained the methodologies to be adopted.
Mr. Murugesan displayed a variety of organic and organic value added products such as oil, flour, traditional rice and millet varieties. Hw adviced farmers that, farmers who raised organic products could sell them through DARE Foundation if they faced problem in marketing.
The process for getting the certificate was explained by L. Narayana Moorthy, an organic certificate inspector.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/
