Credit: BBC News

Environment India17. January 2020

All-Organic Farming Pays Off Big Time for Indian State

The Indian state of Sikkim is the world’s first fully organic state, with zero chemicals in all its farms. The upshot: increased crop yields, reviving wildlife and flourishing tourism.

Sikkim banned the import of pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers and GMOs back in 2003, and farmers were at first hesitant. But the government asked them to have faith, promising to compensate the farmers on their losses in the short term. Within three years, their harvest already returned to what it used to be, says a local farmer to BBC.

Now, things are even better. Fruit yields have risen by 5%, the cardamom crop rose by a staggering 23%, and tourism has shot up 70% since the state went organic. Since the halt of pesticides, all kinds of wildlife are returning.

The Sikkim government takes organic agriculture very seriously, fining or even jailing those caught using pesticides. Khorlo Bhutia, the state’s agriculture secretary, explains to the BBC that the intention is “to keep the good health of the soil, provide quality food to the people, provide chemical-free air and water to the people, and also to conserve the rich biodiversity of the state.”

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