Source: Press Information Bureau
It is a Central Sector Scheme, a sub-mission under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for implementation in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, during the 12th plan period
Aim
Development of certified organic production in a value chain mode to link growers with consumers and to support the development of entire value chain starting from inputs, seeds, certification, to the creation of facilities for collection, aggregation, processing, marketing and brand building initiative
Mission objectives
- To develop crop commodity specific organic value chain and address gaps in organic crop production, wild crop harvesting, organic livestock management and processing handling and marketing of organic agricultural products through:
- Developing crop specific organic production clusters with necessary infrastructural, technical and financial support
- By facilitating partnerships between farmers and organic businesses: Local enterprises and/or Farmer Producer Companies based on back-to-back long-term trade relations with clients in domestic and export markets.
- By providing enabling environment for project initiatives and development programs with necessary support for organic value chain development and create market access.
- To empower producers with program ownership by organizing them into farmer producer organizations/ companies.
- To replace conventional farming/subsistence farming system into local resource based, self sustainable, high value commercial organic enterprise.
- Developing commodity specific commercial organic value chain under integrated and concentrated approach with end-to-end facilities for production, processing, storage and marketing.
- Development of organic parks/zones with facilities for collection, aggregation, value addition, processing, storage and market-linkages for specific commodities requiring capital intensive technology.
- Develop NER products as brands/labels through brand building and facilitating stronger marketing access under the ownership of growers organizations/ companies.
- Creating state specific lead agency (Organic Commodity Board or Organic Mission) for coordinating, monitoring, supporting and financing the development and operationalization of entire value chain.
- To make Northeastern states as major suppliers of organic commodities for national and international markets
Project strategies
- To mobilize commodity clusters and facilitate capacity building, handholding, and infrastructure creation for on-farm input production, training on package of practices and facilitating certification services to farmers.
- To facilitate creation and linking of enterprises (local enterprises/ farmer producer companies) that can create and operate collection, aggregation and post harvest processes, trade organic products and provide necessary services to farmers and to work towards increasing their market.
- To set up lead agencies at central and state to partner with value chain supporting agencies, service providers and institute business development consultancies.
- To provide access to information, know- how and finance and enabling the enterprises to offer efficient services, support them in building required management capacities, and stimulating market growth
Mission components
A.Value Chain Production
- Developing crop specific organic production clusters
- Clusters development and formation of Farmer Producer Organizations/ Companies
- Assistance for on-farm input production unit and off-farm inputs
- Assistance for quality seed and planting material
- Support for extension services, input facilitation, training handholding and certification at production stage
- Assistance for setting up of input delivery, distribution centres and agri machinery custom hiring centre
- Training, handholding, ICS management, documentation and certification of crop production through service providers
B.Value Chain Processing
- Value Chain Post Harvest
- Financial assistance for setting up of functional infrastructure for collection and grading units
- Value Chain Processing
- Financial assistance for setting up of integrated processing units
- Value Chain Packaging, Storage and Transportation
- Integrated pack house
- Transportation
- Cold Chain Component(Refrigerated transport vehicle and Pre-cooling/ cold stores/ ripening chambers)
C.Value chain Marketing
- Branding, labeling, packaging, publicity and certification of processing units etc
- Seminars/ conferences, workshops, Buyer-seller meets, Auction meetings, festivals
- Consumer awareness Information dissemination through publicity, printed literature, films and local advertisements
- Hiring of space in prime markets
D.Value Chain Support Agencies
- Setting up of Lead agency
- Staff, Manpower, Travel and contingencies, Institutional strengthening and hire/ purchase of machinery and equipments
- Setting up of certification bodies
- Mission management at DAC&FW
- Any other Innovative requirement including surveys, consultancies information and knowledge ecosystem etc
