Lok Sabha Question No. 46 (STARRED), answered on 2026-02-03
Subject: Promotion of Organic Farming
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Mohite Patil Dhairyasheel Rajsinh, Smt. Supriya Sule

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.46

TO BE ANSWERED ON 3 RD  FEBRUARY, 2026

## PROMOTION OF ORGANIC FARMING

*46. SHRI MOHITE PATIL DHAIRYASHEEL RAJSINH: SMT. SUPRIYA SULE:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has taken effective steps to promote organic farming in State of Maharashtra, particularly through the implementation of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), if so, the details thereof; (b) the total area brought under organic cultivation and the number of certified organic farmers in Maharashtra, district-wise; (c) the number of PKVY clusters sanctioned, funds released and utilised, and the extent to which the prescribed assistance has actually reached farmers; (d) whether the Government has assessed the economic viability, yield performance and income outcomes of traditional organic farming practices under PKVY, if so, the details thereof; (e) the details of additional incentives, market linkages, certification support and price realisation mechanisms provided to organic farmers in Maharashtra; (f) whether adequate training, demonstration and awareness programmes have been conducted through Krishi Vigyan Kendras, agricultural universities and NGOs; and

- (g) the shortcomings identified in implementation and the corrective measures proposed to improve adoption and farmers income?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी (SHRI SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN)

(a) to (g): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (g) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION  NO.  46  DUE  FOR  ANSWER  ON  3 RD   FEBRUARY,  2026  REGARDING 'PROMOTION OF ORGANIC FARMING'.

(a) to (c) : Organic farming is being promoted through Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) in the state of Maharashtra since 2015-16. The PKVY scheme stresses on end-toend  support  to  farmers  engaged  in  organic  farming  i.e.  from  production  to  processing, certification and marketing. Primary focus of the scheme is to form organic clusters, with preference  to  small  and  marginal  farmers,  to  create  a  supply  chain.  The  scheme  is implemented  through  States  /UT  Governments.  Under  the  scheme,  assistance  of  Rs. 31,500  per  ha  is  provided  over  3  years  for  promotion  of  organic  farming.  Out  of  this, assistance of Rs. 15,000 per ha is provided to farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer for on- farm /off -farm organic inputs.

Since 2015-16 (as on 31.12.2025), a total of 2,978 clusters have been formed in Maharashtra under PKVY, covering an area of 68,012 ha and benefiting 89,595 farmers. Against  an  allocation  of  ₹265.82  crore,  an  amount  of ₹160.93  crore  has  been  released during the period. Out of this, ₹142.13 crore has been incurred by the state of Maharashtra. The district-wise data is not maintained centrally.

(d): The evaluation conducted by NITI Aayog during 2025 assessed the promotion of organic farming practices for its effectiveness in terms of agronomic benefits in the country. As per the evaluation report, 75.85% farmers reported that adopting organic methods led to significant improvement in soil fertility, reduced chemical input cost  or enhanced produce quality.

(e): Under PKVY, financial assistance of ₹4,500 per hectare for marketing and branding, ₹3,000 per hectare for  certification,  and  ₹9,000  per  hectare  for  training,  awareness  and capacity building is provided over a period of three years. In Maharashtra, a provision of ₹22.50 lakh per Farmer Producer Organization(FPC) has been made for value addition and marketing facilities and 68 FPCs have been covered till date.

To promote marketing for organic produce, the Government  has launched Participatory  Guarantee  System(PGS)-India  organic  certification  programme  through Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare which enables farmers to get premium price for organic  produce.  So  far,  1,44,583  certificates  have  been  issued  to  36,403  farmers  in Maharashtra in the PGS-India Organic Certification System under PKVY.

(f) & (g): Adequate  training,  demonstration  and  awareness  programmes  on  organic farming are organized involving Krishi Vigyan Kendras(KVK) and Agriculture Universities.

During  2024-25,  the  KVKs  in  the  State  conducted  571  training  programmes,  501 demonstrations and 561 awareness programmes for the farmers. Further, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), through All India Network Programme on Natural Farming (earlier  AINP  on  Organic  Farming),  is  operating  with  20  cooperating  centres  across  16 States to develop comprehensive packages of practices for organic crop production from both cropping system and farming system perspectives. The programme involved 11 State Agricultural Universities, 8 ICAR institutes/centres and 1 deemed university. One centre at Karjat, under Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krushi Vidyapeeth (Dr. PDKV), Dapoli, Maharashtra, is actively working under the project. A total of 164 awareness and training programmes have been conducted by the center along with 440 demonstrations for the promotion of organic farming.

*****