Chemical and Organic Farming in India: An Overview

Abstract

India ranks second worldwide in farm outputs. As per 2018, agriculture employed 50% of the Indian work force and contributed 17-18% to country’s GDP. India exported $38 billion worth of agricultural products in 2013, making it the seventh largest agricultural exporter worldwide and the sixth largest net exporter. Chemical fertilizers are major inputs of scientific agriculture. India is one of the major countries in the production and consumption of fertilizers. Fertilizer consumption was less than 1 million tones before the mid-1960s. With the introduction of high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds, there was acceleration in the growth of fertilizer consumption. The Government of India has also implemented the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). The national programme involves the accreditation programme for Certification Bodies, standards for organic production, promotion of organic farming etc. As on 31st March 2018, total area under organic certification process (registered under National Programme for Organic Production) is 3.56 million Hectare (2017-18). Against this backdrop, the present study is undertaken to present an overview of chemical and organic farming in India.