Organic Food Festival

Source: PIB & Ministry of Commerce & Industry

Recently Union Minister for Food Processing Industries and Union Minister for Women and Child Development jointly inaugurated the Organic Food Festival

Background

The Organic Food Festival for Women Entrepreneurs is an outcome of the MoU (which aims at building capacities of women entrepreneurs) signed between the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and the Ministry of Women and Child Development (M/o WCD).

Key highlights

The festival aims to strengthen the organic market and empower entrepreneurs in the area of production and processing of organic production
This is the first such event where 180+ women entrepreneurs and self-help groups are participating from over 25 States and Union Territories with very interesting products on display from across the country.
The festival was organized by National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as the Industry Partner
Training and capacity building of women entrepreneurs and SHGs is another key focus area and training on Post-harvest management, product innovation, packaging, and certification processes were organized over the 3 days.
The overall effort is targeted towards strengthening ‘Organic’ Branding for India by enhancing direct linkage of local producers with Buyers, enhancing processing potential of organic output and contribute to India’s vision of enhancing export competitiveness and Create a direct impact to women farmer incomes and in turn empowerment

The area under organic certification

As of 31st March 2018, the total area under organic certification process (registered under the National Programme for Organic Production) is 3.56 million Hectare (2017-18). This includes 1.78 million ha (50%) cultivable area and another 1.78 million Hectare (50%) for wild harvest collection.
Among all the states, Madhya Pradesh has covered the largest area under organic certification followed by Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
During 2016, Sikkim has achieved a remarkable distinction of converting its entire cultivable land (more than 76000 ha) under organic certification.

Organic production in India

India produced around 1.70 million MT (2017-18) of certified organic products which include all varieties of food products namely Oil Seeds, Sugar cane, Cereals & Millets, Cotton, Pulses, Medicinal Plants, Tea, Fruits, Spices, Dry Fruits, Vegetables, Coffee, etc. The production is not limited to the edible sector but also produces organic cotton fiber, functional food products, etc.
Among different states, Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. In terms of commodities, Oilseeds are the single largest category followed by Sugar crops, Cereals and Millets, Fiber crops, Pulses, Medicinal, Herbal, and Aromatic plants and Spices and Condiments.

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Tags: Prelims