Inaugural address by Shri. Shyam Bihari Gupta, Member, Krishi Samriddhi Aayog, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh
An online certification course on “Organic Certification” was organized by University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad on 17-18, December, 2020under World Bank funded ICAR-NAHEP-IDP project to provide information on standards of organic production, system criteria and procedures for accreditation of inspection and certification bodies, the national logo, regulations governing its use and to facilitate sale of authentic organic products to consumers Dr. P. U. Krishnaraj, Coordinator, IDP gave introduction about IDP and the online certification course and Dr. Ashalatha Assoc. Coordinator welcomed the guests and participants.
Dr. M. B. Chetti, Vice Chancellor, introduced the guest and emphasized that India has reached sustainable production and now it is time to produce quality food for wellbeing of human health.During the opening remarks he also spoke on “Unnat Bharath Abhiyan” under this scheme, every village of India has been provided with biogas unit installation and promotion of organic production through certification. He referred ‘LakhpathiKheti’ model of Kolhapur as an example for sustainable natural farming.
Shri. Shyam Bihari Gupta, Member, Krishi Samriddhi Aayog, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, inaugurated the programme and expressed that youth are the strength of nation to bring any reforms in Indian agriculture. Integrated farming system including cattle and birds brings balance in bio-diversity through organic farming. He highlighted the importance of chemical-free farming, Zero Budget Natural Farming and integrated farming in support of “Unnat Bharath Abhiyan”. He narrated the importance of five layered natural farming which includes grains, vegetables, fruits, fodder and spices towards doubling farmer’s income and ensuring good health of farmers and consumers.
Shri. Parashivamurthy S. S. Deputy Director, KSSOCA (Karnataka State Seed Organic Certification Agency), narrated the policies of structure and ongoing projects of KSSOCA. He also detailed the importance of organic produce, cultivation and certification. Dr. Binay Kumar Choudhary, Chairman, Control Union Certification Agency, Mumbai, explained the role of sustainable certification standards in organic farming.
On the second day Dr. Nagaraj Hegde, Founder, Chairman & Managing Director, HIGHTECH Agriculum Pvt. Ltd. Bengaluru, spoke on instant preparation of organic manure the first of its kind in entire world. He also narrated on Bhusiri machine which produce high quality of manure and Bhumitra and its application. Narayan U., Director, ADITI Organic Certification, Bengaluru, spoke on procedures and standards for export of crops. Mr. L. B. Nagaraj, Organic certification officer, KSOCA, Bengaluru, spoke on wild collection and input approval for organic certification. He also interacted with participants and clarified the doubts. Dr. Shamarao Jahagirdar, Dr. B.K. Naik,Dr. JyothiVastrad, Dr. Kambrekar and Dr. Gurudatt Hegde organized the programme. More than 175 students and faculties participated in the online certification course.