SHILLONG, MAY 21: The Meghalaya government is scaling up its organic farming programme to cover 1 lakh hectares, Agriculture Minister Timothy D Shira said Thursday, crediting farmer-led adoption of bio-fertilizers and support from the Centre.
“This organic farming is initiated by the government,” Shira said.
“No chemical fertilizers have been issued. People are trying to avoid these chemical fertilizers. They are using only bio-fertilizers and natural manure.”
The minister pointed to the state’s Lakadong turmeric cluster, run under the Khadi Mission, as an example of the shift paying off. “Recently I visited the place run by the cooperative society. They are doing well,” he said.
He said the cooperative model has improved farmer incomes and market access. “In the past, farmers had to take the produce to the market but now they need not go to the market,” Shira explained. “Now they come to the cooperative society, they pay better price and they are doing all processing, powdering of the turmeric and it is supplied to lots of foreign countries.”
Outlining future targets, he added, “The government has policy. Now with the help of the central government, the different units — one lakh hectares will be taken up under organic farming. We have taken 60,000 hectares so 40,000 more hectares of land have to be taken up for organic farming.”
On staple crops, Shira said climatic factors remain a constraint. “On rice cultivation, they are using the same method and even if they try to improve it also due to this climatic condition, they cannot improve it,” he said.
He dismissed concerns about shrinking farmland. “Urbanization has not affected farm lands in the state,” the minister said.
Meghalaya has positioned organic farming and GI-tagged products like Lakadong turmeric as key drivers of rural income and exports.
