Seven years ago, the Nilgiris set out to become Tamil Nadu’s first fully organic district with thousands of farmers, exchange programmes, subsidies and a proposed ban on highly toxic pesticides. Today, the ambitious programme backed by farmers, funds and the district administration appears to have lost steam.In 2019, more than 4,000 farmers were enrolled in the initiative launched by the district administration, and about 1,400 received first-year Scope organic certification (the official annual document issued by an accredited certification body such as the Tamil Nadu Organic Certification Department or agencies under the National Programme for Organic Production confirming that a farm complies with legal organic standards).In Feb 2019, the district administration sent 50 farmers to Sikkim to learn from India’s first fully organic state. A ban on the sale of certain chemical pesticides and weedicides was proposed, committees were formed and crores of rupees were sanctioned under successive schemes.Today, not one farmer from the original programme holds a valid group Scope certification.Organic farming promotion in the Nilgiris began in March 2017, with workshops for farmers and two clusters established in Ooty and Kotagiri under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY).In July 2019, more than 5,000 farmers participated in a rally in Ooty under the slogan “Organic district”. Organised by the district administration, the horticulture department and The Nilgiris Horticulture Organic Farmers’ Association (THOFA), the rally appeared to show signs of becoming a district-wide movement. In Dec, collector J Innocent Divya formed a core committee, and called for a ban on the sale of chemical pesticides and weedicides with ‘red’ and ‘yellow’ tags by March 2020.The horticulture department also began preparing a policy for the district’s complete conversion to organic farming. Farmers cultivating on slopes were encouraged to adopt bench-terracing to prevent soil erosion, with govt subsidies promised for those who complied. In May 2020, the National Horticulture Mission offered subsidies for organic vegetable cultivation.And that’s when things began to slide. Farmers were enrolled without ensuring they followed organic practices. Following a change in administration in the subsequent year, there was no follow-up.“We discovered that at least 90% of the farmers in the 48 farmers’ produce groups, each with 100 members, who had received Scope certificates, were not practicing organic farming methods. Chemicals were detected in their farmlands,” says S Ganesh, vice president of THOFA and a resident of Semmanarai hamlet. “Upon investigation, we found that only 600 farmers from various taluks were genuinely practicing organic farming, but even they could not meet the qualifications for the second-year Scope certificate.”During the processing of the second-year group’s Scope certification for farmers in 2021, most did not meet the established standard criteria. Chemical residues, including weedicides, were found in the soil. As a result, group certification was rejected across the board.“The district does not have an agriculture department. The horticulture department, which is technically more for small-scale cultivation, has to double up,” says an official from the horticulture department, requesting anonymity. “We are the ones distributing subsidies to eligible farmers and providing support with farming techniques.”In 2023, the Tamil Nadu govt announced a special organic farming scheme for the Nilgiris with an outlay of `50 crore, set as a five-year plan. As part of this initiative, the govt sanctioned the deputation of an assistant director and a horticulture officer/coordinator. To date, no assistant director has been appointed. The coordinator manages the programme.“In the first and second years of the scheme, `2.16 crore and `2.26 crore were released. In the first year, about 1,330 farmers benefited,” says N Chandran, coordinator of organic farming, horticulture department.“We promoted it across the district; awareness meetings were conducted; training programmes took place on soil reclamation, soil testing and bio inputs, to vermicompost production facilities. We also had programmes on financial support available.”S Jeyalakshmi, deputy director of the horticulture department, says in 2023, 3,800 farmers enrolled in the scheme. “However, no one has received a Scope certificate. We conduct awareness programmes for farmers. A recent organic potato crop yielded better results than those grown with chemical fertilizers, and farmers find the process fulfilling.”She adds that soil requires at least three years to complete the transition to organic farming, while full certification may require five years of continuous use of biofertilisers or vermicompost.Monitoring, too, appears to have weakened. Although a district-level organic farming monitoring committee headed by the collector exists, it has not met in the past two years.Small pockets of committed organic farming have also survived outside the failed district-wide certification effort. “Organic and natural farming can remain sustainable during droughts and floods,” says Chandran. “Not only is it sustainable, but overall cost of production can be reduced by 35%, while still commanding a premium price for high-quality produce.”Ganesh says a group of about 75 organic farmers supplies three to four tonnes of vegetables and other produce to the local market every month. About 25 members grow vegetables, while the others cultivate tea, coffee and speciality crops. Weekly organic markets are held in Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Gudalur at locations identified by the horticulture department.“We have an annual turnover of `1.25 crore. Our contributers include 25 tribal farmers each from Kotagiri and Gudalur taluks,” says Ganesh, who practises natural farming on 12 acres in Semmanarai.“Our objective is the local market, so we are not interested in Scope certification. We have a ‘face’ certificate,” says Ganesh, referring to the trust built directly with consumers. “If more farmers join us, we will try to obtain certification,” he says.Meanwhile, Kinnakorai, a village with 600 small farmers cultivating tea on 800 acres and supplying leaves to the Kinnakorai Indco tea factory, are completely organic. The initiative was proposed in 2020 by then Indcoserve CEO Supriya Sahu and supported with `65 lakh under the special area development programme.These successes show that organic farming is viable in the Nilgiris. What is lacking is a roadmap.
