Organic farming convention at Chandigarh from Feb 28

The Business line

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 20:  

The 5th National Organic Farming Convention, co-hosted by the Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI), Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) and Punjab-based Kheti Virasat Mission, will be held in Chandigarh between February 28 and March 2. The event, organised in association with local partner National Institute of Technical Teachers Training & Research (NITTR), is expected to be the largest congregation of Indian organic farmers from across 25 States and the expected 2,500 participants will include policy makers, scientists, entrepreneurs and activists.

“Despite the acknowledgement that natural resources have been subjected to a great deal of degradation and depletion due to the intensive agriculture model, very little is being done by governments to promote organic farming. In the last six years, under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, less than 2.5 per cent of the projects and outlays have gone into organic farming. Lots of misconceptions about organic continue to exist,” said Kavitha Kuruganti, Convenor, ASHA.

The convention, which will be held at NITTR located in Sector 26, has the vice-chancellors of more than six agriculture universities, as well 270 of India’s best seed conservators and seed-breeding farmers taking part in a ‘Biodiversity Festival’ that will showcase thousands of Indian seed varieties.

“Organic farming not only conserves resources but reduces the investments that are needed to be made by farmers in the chemical paradigm of farming. Given that farmers also get a premium price even while their costs are reduced dramatically, this kind of farming is profitable for farmers,” pointed out renowned environmentalist Claude Alvares, at the briefing here on Friday.

“You would see that no farm suicide has ever been committed by any organic farmers,” he added.

(This article was published on February 20, 2015)

SOURCE: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/organic-farming-convention-at-chandigarh-fromfeb-28/article6916932.ece