Sikkim Becomes India’s First 100% Organic State

By Amanda Froelich

Amazing news! Sikkim has become India’s first fully organic state. According to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the monumental achievement was a result of implementing organic practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land.

Said Dr. Anbalagan:

We have achieved fully-organic status in the end of December. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally announce this at a sustainable agriculture conference in Gangtok on January 18.

Twelve years ago, the Pawan Chamling-led government decided to make Sikkim an organic farming state through a declaration of the legislative assembly, reports PTI News. 

Since then, 75,000 hectares of agricultural land have been gradually converted to certified organic land by implementing organic practices and principles, as was outlined in the National Programme for Organic Production.

Since 2003, allowance for chemicals to be used on farmland has been restricted and, shortly after, their sale banned. Farmers had no option but to go organic (is that how it’s done?).

This means that all produce cultivated in the state of Sikkim is free of chemical pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and has been grown in a way to ensure a more harmonious ecosystem.

The benefits of growing crops naturally are numerous. According to agriculture secretary Khorlo Bhutia, “In the long term, organic farming leads in subsistence of agriculture, biodiversity conservation and environmental protection.”

Sustainable farming will also help build the soil health, which result in sustainable increased crop production. In addition, by becoming the first 100% organic state in India, Sikkim expects an increase of tourism to the tiny landlocked Himalayan state.

The trend to ‘go organic’ has been increasing in recent years – and for good reason. Pesticides and herbicides  (especially Monsanto’s RoundUp which contains glyphosate, a toxic carcinogen), have been shown to adversely affect health.

What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!

This article (Sikkim Becomes India’s First 100% Organic State) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com