Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said to help farmers get higher prices for their organically produced commodities, his ministry has drawn up plans to open laboratories across the country to certify such products and also verify chemical fertiliser-free land.
The announcement was made by Shah, who is also the home minister, during his address at the 'National Conclave on Natural Farming' held at Anand in Gujarat.

According to Shah, cultivators will adopt organic farming in a large number if they get remunerative prices for such products and access to the international market.
"The task is to supply certified organic products with a brand name to the international market. The Ministry of Cooperation is making efforts to set up a network of laboratories in the country which will certify not only organic products, but also certify that land in which they were grown is also chemical fertiliser-free," said Shah in his address.
"This will help farmers in getting better prices for their organic produce. Amul and some other cooperative entities are working on it. I am confident that our organic farm produce will fetch more prices in the international market due to this certification process involving both land as well as farm products," he added.

The minister said preparations to set up this lab network have already started. Shah exuded confidence that a "marketing chain" to sell organic products will be established in at least two states in the next one year. The Ministry of Cooperation was created in July this year with an aim to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country and Shah was given the charge of the new portfolio. Organic farming is a technique that involves the use of fertilisers of organic origin such as compost and green manure, and excludes synthetically compounded fertilisers and pesticides.

Source: The Economic Times