Organic Farming Programme

Organic cultivation have gained great significant in recent years. The Lakshadweep islands have adopted organic cultivation recently and the aim of the scheme is to promote organic cultivation.

Land Rent for established model organic farm (All Islands except Bitra,Kadmat and Minicoy )

Description of the Component:

• Provides land rent for Model organic farms established during XIth Plan
• The more unused land is brought under organic cultivation of vegetables and fruits.

Supply of Organic inputs (all islands)

Description of the Component:

• Provide organic inputs for organic cultivation of vegetables and fruit to the farmers and department.

Recycling of coconut waste, organic composting, fish composting, vermicompost.(all islands)

Description of the Component:

• Recycling of farm wastes, fish wastes that are abundant in islands and reduce import of Organic fertilizers from mainland and keep Island clean.
• The department is able to produce organic fertilizers from this waste by establishing different compost making units in the Island.

Establishment & Maintenance of vermicomposting & coir pith composition under A D Units (all islands)

Description of the Component:

• Lakshadweep being Organic Territory 1005 organic cultivation methods are adopted. Requirement of Dept. Demonstration plots as well as demand from public are in high demand of organic manure. Hence it is necessary to maintain vermicomposting & coir pith composition under A D Units.

Supply of farm implements (all islands)

Description of the Component:

• Farmers of Lakshadweep depend mainly on Agriculture department for farm inputs including farm implements.
• This is mainly due to the lack of retail sales of this item in public sector. Hence annually department procure and supply farm implements to the farmers on subsidized rate.
• For the last so many years Department procured farm implements and distributed to the farmers on 25% subsidy.

Procurement of Organic Manure (all islands)

Description of the Component:

This scheme helps to procure the Organic Manure such as Farm Yard Manure, Poultry Manure and vermin compost etc from the farmers to the Dept.

Organic certification Programme (all islands)

Description of the Component:

• Department of Agriculture has started Organic certification programme in all the islands during the year 2010.
• Now the programme has been included in Plan schemes due to shortage of funds under NHM.
• At present more than 920 Ha of area are covered under organic certification programme.
• For the last so many years, Method of crop cultivation in all the islands are organic only.
• Department has achieved Organic certificates for this territory.

Farmer's Training Programme (all islands)

Description of the Component:

• For the success of implementation of the scheme farmers trainings on maintenance of organic standards in organic fields are conducted by technical staff or by inviting external inspectors from INDOCERT, Aluva, Kerala..
• For the last 4 years island wise training programmes under organic certification programmes and other allied subjects to staff as well as farmers has been conducted successfully.

Source: Department of Agriculture & Cooperation