Organic sector wants Rs 2,500 cr allocation

BANGALORE: With increasing demand for organic products, the sector has asked the Planning Commission to earmark Rs 2,500 crore for it during the 11th Plan period.

"It is a multi-fold increase from Rs 70 crore during the 10th Plan," Tej Pratap, Executive Director ICCOA and Chairman of the sub-committee on organic farming for the 11th Plan told a press conference ahead of "India Organic 2006" starting here from November 9.

From about 5,000 hectares under organic farming in 2001, today 2,75,000 hectares of land is being organically cultivated by over three lakh farmers in the country with the Indian domestic organic market at Rs 2300 crore, he said.

Organic farming is gaining momentum and from the present one million farmers who have the organic certification, "we expect the figure to rise to 50 million in another five years," Pratap said.

There is tremendous potential for export of certified organic products. At present Rs 128 crore worth of certified organic products are being exported, he said.

The four-day trade event being held for the second consecutive year in Bangalore will have organic food festival as an added attraction this time, Mukesh Gupta, Executive Director Morarka Organic, Rajasthan, one of the co-organisers of the fair, said.