Gujarat’s certified organic farming area halves in 2 yrs

Gandhinagar: The area under certified organic farming in Gujarat has shrunk dramatically in just two years, more than halving from 9.36 lakh hectares in 2022–23 to 4.37 lakh hectares now. The data, released by the Union govt in Parliament, tracks land certified under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). Despite the fall, Gujarat still ranks fourth nationally in certified organic farming. However, the state has seen a rise in natural farming, with nearly 8 lakh hectares now under this method.NPOP is a certification scheme implemented by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Union ministry of commerce and industry. The scheme sets standards for organic farming, certification processes, and the accreditation of certification bodies.Despite this slide, Gujarat still ranks fourth in the country for certified organic farming area. Madhya Pradesh continues to lead with 10.13 lakh hectares, followed by Maharashtra at 9.67 lakh hectares and Rajasthan at 5.52 lakh hectares.Interestingly, the drop in organic farming comes at a time when natural farming, a related but distinct chemical-free method, gaining momentum across Gujarat. Official state data shows that over 7.92 lakh hectares are currently under natural farming, adopted by more than 9.71 lakh farmers. Dang, in south Gujarat, has even been declared a 100% natural farming district."Natural and organic farming are both chemical-free farming methods, but there has been a major push toward using traditional inputs like cow dung and cow urine, which are central to natural farming," said Ramesh Ruparelia, a trainer who works with farmers across India. He added that while official organic certification may be on the decline, the broader trend of chemical-free farming could be on the rise due to natural methods gaining favour.Natural farming avoids external inputs entirely, focusing instead on encouraging microbial activity and decomposition of the soil surface. Organic farming, on the other hand, uses compost, manure, and other permitted substances and must comply with stringent certification rules under the NPOP.