Organic farming in India: Status and challenges with special reference to vegetables

In 2016, India ranked 1st in terms of organic producers with 8.35 lakh (13.5%) and 3rd in terms of organic area under cultivation with 4.2 million hectare (10.5%) of the world. In 2017, out of the 1003 affiliates of IFOAM-Organics International from 127 countries, India possessed 111 of them. It has been forecasted that for the coming years, Indian organic farming will attain a CAGR of more than 25%. This paper reviews the production status of organic vegetables in India for five years from 2015-2019. The purpose for selecting organic vegetables is because these are readily available to the common masses for immediate consumption and India is the second important organic vegetable grower. Recent studies have concluded that organic vegetables are safer to consume than the non-organic ones due to lower nitrate and cadmium content; and lesser pesticide residues. Worldwide only 0.7 % of the organic land was devoted to the cultivation of vegetables, while India offered 14.3 % of its organic area for vegetable cultivation in 2016. In 2009-10, fruits and vegetables (30%) together had the largest organic share in India’s crop production. The challenges faced by the organic growers are the insufficient marketing policies and channels and the biological characteristics of vegetables.