Organic Farming in India
Status, Issues and Way Forward
About the Book
Globally, there is growing awareness of the adverse impact of chemical inputs on soil, environment and human health. This has prompted both developed and developing countries to shift towards organic farming and organic food products. The Government of India has been actively supporting organic farming through various polices and schemes. India has an advantage of producing organic food products and is among the top 10 global exporters of such products. The domestic market for organic food products is growing at a fast pace. Given this background, the objective of this report is to: (a) understand recent trends and developments in organic farming globally and the scope for the development of organic farming in and export of organic food products from India, (b) identify global best practices in regulations on organic products, (c) examine the measures taken by the Indian government to support organic farming and organic food, (d) identify the issues faced by organic farmers and organic processed food producers, exporters, importers and other supply chain agents, (e) find the policy gaps, and (f) make policy recommendations to the government for the holistic growth of this sector based on global best practices and the country’s own requirements. The report is based on the first pan-India primary survey of companies and farmers following different organic certification processes.
About the Author(s) / Editor(s)
<p><strong>Arpita Mukherjee</strong> is a Professor at ICRIER. She has several years of experience in policy-oriented research, working closely with the government in India and policymakers in the EU, US, ASEAN and in East Asian countries. She has conducted studies for international organisations and Indian industry associations. Her research is a key contributor to India’s negotiating strategies in the WTO and bilateral agreements. She has authored chapters in joint study group reports set up by Indian government and has led research teams contributing to India’s domestic policy reforms in areas such as logistics, retail, special economic zones and mega food parks. Dr Mukherjee has a PhD in Economics from the University of Portsmouth, UK. She has published widely and presented her research in various international and national forums.</p>
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<p><strong>Souvik Dutta</strong> is an Assistant Professor in Economics at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) and is the recipient of the Young Faculty Research Chair at IIMB. He has published in reputed journals and his primary research interests lie in the areas of applied microeconomics, development and political economy. He has been an active researcher in survey-based studies related to policy and planning. He has worked on express delivery services in India in collaboration with ICRIER, which involved extensive primary survey of express and courier companies and identifying barriers and making policy suggestions. Other major projects involve studying microfinance in West Bengal, which is funded by International Growth Center, London School of Economics. Prof Dutta holds a PhD in Economics from Pennsylvania State University, USA and a Masters in Economics from Delhi School of Economics.</p>
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<p><strong>Tanu M. Goyal</strong> is a Consultant at ICRIER. She has over nine years of experience in policy oriented research, focusing primarily on services sector, international trade, food supply chain and other policy issues. She has worked on survey-based studies for the Indian government and international agencies including the Delegation of the European Commission to India, Department for International Development (DFID), Department of Commerce, Ministry of Food Processing Industries and the Asian Development Bank, among others. She has published two books, several articles in international and national journals and popular media articles. She has a Masters degree in Economics from Centre of Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi and is currently pursuing her PhD from the Centre for Study of Law and Governance, JNU.</p>
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<p><strong>Avantika Kapoor</strong> is a Research Assistant at ICRIER. Her areas of interest include international trade and policy, and food safety policies. She has worked on survey-based studies for Indian government departments, including the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and for international governments such as the European Commission. At ICRIER, she has worked for organisations such as the Amway India Enterprises Private Limited and PepsiCo India, and has contributed to the Working Paper Series and popular media articles. Avantika has completed her M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Warwick, UK, and a B.A. (Hons) in Economics from University of Delhi.</p>
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<p><strong>Disha Mendiratta</strong> is a Research Assistant at ICRIER. Her research interests include trade and development, non-tariff barriers to trade and policy and regulatory issues. At ICRIER, she has worked on projects for organisations such as the Amway India Enterprises Private Limited; and has contributed to the Working Paper Series. She has a Masters degree in Economics with specialisation in environment and resource economics from TERI University, New Delhi.</p>
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