How beneficial is organic milk/farming in Indian conditions?
Nidhi Sukhija1, Kanaka K K1, Rangasai Chandra Goli1, Purohit P B1, Sona Sukhija2
1 ICAR- National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India
2 Government Medical College, Haldwani, India
Email: kkokay07@gmail.com
Status of organic Farming in India
India ranks first in number of organic farmers and ninth in terms of area under organic farming. Sikkim became the first State in the world to become fully organic converting around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land into sustainable cultivation and other States including Tripura and Uttarakhand have set similar targets. North East India has traditionally been organic and the consumption of chemicals is far less than the rest of the country. The major organic exports from India have been flax seeds, sesame, soybean, tea, medicinal plants, rice and pulses. Organic farming system in India is not new and has been followed since ancient times. It promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. India ranks 88th in terms of the ratio of agricultural land under organic crops to total farming area. Size of the Indian organic food market is INR 100 crore and the number of organic food farmers in India are 570,000. Uttarakhand has become the first state to establish an Organic Commodities Board and created organic export zones by establishing organic bio-villages. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER) and Jaivik Kheti portal are some of the landmark initiatives taken by the government for promoting and facilitating farmers to opt for organic produce. Hugg Beverages, a beverage company, conducted market research and found that for organic milk, Indians are willing to spend anywhere between 2 and 4 times the price of ordinary milk. For instance, a litre of cow’s milk under the Mother Dairy brand costs INR 50. Hetha Organics, situated in Ghaziabad, charges INR 180 per litre for its A2 milk. Hetha’s ghee (clarified butter), for raw organic A2 organic milk, can cost up to 10 times as much as conventional ghee at INR 5,000 per litre. The organic A2 milk market in India, the largest milk producer in the world, is thought to be worth little over $300 million. However, such milk producers in India work in a legal grey area. According to the creators of the Pune-based organic foods and dairy company Humpy Farms, which sells items including organic fruits, rice, millets, and wheat, 80% of the company’s sales are made by dairy products alone.
Organic milk
Several milk products from livestock raised using organic agricultural practices are referred to as organic milk. The absence of long-term clinical investigations is just one of many challenges to drawing clear conclusions about potential safety or health advantages of ingesting organic milk or ordinary milk. With regard to the absolute differences in nutrient content between milk produced organically and conventionally, such as in terms of protein or fatty acid content, the research that is currently available have reached inconsistent conclusions. However, some research indicates that agricultural methods rather than organic status are more important for the quality and safety of cow’s milk. Nevertheless, majority of the research does not support the claim that there are any nutritional or safety differences between milk produced organically and conventionally that are clinically meaningful. The current information indicates that ordinary and organic milk contain equal trace levels of chemical and pesticide residues. Whether it makes the milk healthier is a matter of considerable debate. Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs), a good lipid that some studies suggest may have health benefits, are said to be present in higher concentrations in the milk of cows who graze on pastures, according to proponents. The nutritional superiority of organic milk is marginal and hence, not supported by a sizable amount of scientific evidence. Overall, the nutritional profile of organic milk is comparable to that of ordinary milk, but it has less medication residues. More research is required, but some studies also imply that organic farming may be more environmentally sustainable. In India, NPOP, (National Program for Organic Production) is the nodal agency for such affiliations and certifications. They certify based on whether livestock grazed on pasture, fed organically certified feed (which may not contain byproducts of animal slaughter), and not given any medications. However, it is also unlawful to deprive a sick animal of vital medications in order to keep that animal’s organic status). Thus, organic milk has some benefits, but whether they are sufficient to justify the premium is entirely up to the customers and market.
How good is organic farming in the Indian context?
Marie-Antoinette once said “let them eat cake”. In context to the quote, Marie-Antoinette, the-then queen of France during the French Revolution upon being told that her starving peasant subjects had no bread gave this reply “let them eat cake”, because cake is more expensive than bread, the anecdote has been cited in this context as an example of unawareness to the conditions and daily lives of ordinary people. These words amusingly give an analogy to the idea of promoting organic farming. It is a farming technique that relies on crop rotation, animal manures, off-farm organic waste, and biological systems of nutrient mobilisation and plant protection besides excluding the use of synthetic inputs (such as fertilisers, pesticides, hormones) (USDA). With an ever-increasing population and thus, agricultural demands, we cannot go downhill in the name of organic culture. The average land holding capacity in India is 1.25 hectares and to make it worse comes decreasing intergenerational land fragmentation. To a farmer whose average income is less than INR 10,000, the idea may not be appealing because all of us are familiar that organic farming costs a lot more than conventional farming. Mankind is approaching the 10 billion population mark and at this point the prognosis is quite uncertain. This thread of views will be incomplete without mentioning the very hot topic of economic emergency that happened in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government had imposed a range of import controls earlier. Recently, the Srilankan government imposed a state of emergency after its mismanaged response to the foreign exchange crisis cascaded into food shortages. Banning the import of automobiles, fixtures, blinds, handles and turmeric is one thing, but a complete ban on chemical fertilizers is entirely another. The fertilizer ban has left Sri Lanka both short of food and US dollars. Sri Lanka is now dependent on fertilisers and food from other countries. Farmers gave up their practices because the revenue was too low. 100% organic farming was implemented somewhere and today we are witnessing complete failure of it. Had it been so good, we would not have resorted to the Green revolution. There is no good in reversifying the clock to Srilankan situation, we should only go forward in time. Nevertheless, we don’t have the sufficient awareness, market and infrastructure to sustain the organic model. With proper knowledge and planning, organic farming is cost-effective.
Why should organic farming not be adopted as a policy measure?
- Cost: Organic farming incurs high input costs compared to the conventional methods in the form of many expenses, including the up-front fees for energy and pumps as well as labour and the upkeep of the cows. Moreover, there is a reduced market for expensive products.
- Produce: The assertions that organic farming plots yield more than non-organic farming plots are unsupported by independent research. Thus, there is the problem of limited production. Estimates suggest that organic yields are 20-30% lower than their conventionally farmed counterparts.
- Not tailor-made, instead one size for all: As there are 15 agro-climatic zones, but this farming has an umbrella approach and hence cannot address the unique soil issues in a given area as Indian soils are deficient in many of the nutrients. Organic farming has not been tried on a larger scale or on all soil types, making its effectiveness in relieving agrarian distress in India questionable.
- Knowledge gap: Even if organic farming is implemented, obstacles related to modern agricultural production, such as knowledge gaps, the lack of native seed banks, the lack of cold chain facilities, MSP, and marketing problems, continue to exist. For instance, Many farmers sell their naturally grown goods to private dealers or the government at wholesale prices, with no markup. While certain organic stores and private consumers are among the local marketing channels used by other farmers, legislative support in this area is essential.
- Need of policy support: Government subsidies are not available to organic farmers in India because they are intended for conventional farming.
- Market expansion: The country’s supply of organic products does not keep up with consumer demand, and the slow expansion of organic farming has been attributed to insufficient connections between the two. Thus, there is a lack of producer and consumer associations.
- Awareness: To raise awareness among farmers and consumers, an aggressive campaign highlighting the pros and cons of organic farming over the conventional system is required.
- Crop identification: It’s crucial to identify the crops that can or cannot sustain in organic farms.
- No clear-cut justification for organic farming: Promoting organic farming as a universal strategy will inevitably result in calamity and stands as a classic example of subjectivist fallacy. Individuals are free to assign morality to their food preferences, but public policy must be supported by logic and scientific data.
Other difficulties faced are limited production, cross breeding problems, incompetent infrastructure, more labour, shorter shelf life, lower land holding capacity, and initially less production.
Way forward
Some farmers in India are blindly switching to organic farming, considering it as a luxury. Those that choose to stay in agriculture do so because they are able to. This is one of the reasons that affluent farmers in India and Western economies are embracing organic farming. Checking the situation becomes unavoidable here, which can be done by allowing farmers to make decisions regarding crops and farming along with an umbrella support from government agencies where the general public should be educated about markets. We need to solve this problem by complete intervention of all the stakeholders and the governance. Firstly, we need to drastically increase yield, drastically decrease the number of farmers, or both. At the global, national, and regional levels, we must oppose the case for organic agriculture in policy discussions. Improved public policies and technological advancements are required to stop the reckless usage of pesticides, fertilisers, and hormones. The best path to sustainable agriculture is provided by policies that respect the financial independence of farmers.
ORGANIC DAIRY FARMING- A SUSTAINABLE & HOLISTIC TOOL FOR RURAL LIVELIHOOD IN INDIA
