The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR; JANUARY 18, 2024
In a bid to champion climate-friendly farming practices, Odisha on Thursday hosted the ‘Organix 2024’ conclave in Bhubaneswar. The day-long event delved into the potential and challenges of organic farming in the state, with a primary focus on encouraging villages to adopt traditional, organic methods over conventional pesticide-based approaches.
Key figures from the agricultural sector, including Jagadananda, Co-founder of CYSD, and P. Chandra Shekara, Director (Agricultural Extension) at the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), along with Sudhansu KK Mishra, CGM NABARD, shared insights and strategies. Sessions featured experts like SK Das of Sabuja Biplav, Thakur Mohanta specializing in Medicinal Herbs, and Shyama Jha, Founder of Millet Magic Foundation.
B2V, a prominent player providing end-to-end services to farmers, emphasized the importance of transitioning from crop selection to market linkage. More than 10,000 farmers across Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra are already benefiting from B2V’s extensive services. The Agriculture sector, being vast and unorganized, faces numerous challenges, which the conclave addressed by promoting organic farming practices on approximately 50 acres of land in Athmallik, Angul district.
Odisha’s organic farming potential lies in its minimal use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, numerous small and marginal farmers, and diverse agro-climatic conditions. The state government’s initiatives, such as the Odisha Organic Farming Policy 2018 and the Odisha Agriculture Policy 2020, aim to increase the area under organic farming from 20,800 hectares in 2020 to 2,00,000 hectares in 2025.
Back to Village (B2V), founded in 2016, actively promotes organic/natural farming, aligning with the state’s policies. The conclave also facilitated buyer-farmer connections and discussions on market needs, product showcases, networking, and insights into production, quality, storage, and preservation, fostering a holistic approach to sustainable agriculture.
