Patna, June 20: The state government will organise an international conference to deliberate the merits and demerits of organic farming from June 22.

“Chief minister Nitish Kumar will inaugurate a three-day international conference on organic farming beginning June 22. Agriculture minister Narendra Singh will also be present on the occasion. Scientists of national and international repute, agriculture university scientists, farmers, companies which produce and market organic products besides a host of other government officials will attend the conference,” agriculture production commissioner Ashok Kumar Sinha said.

Scientists from the US, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), state agriculture universities along with experts from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, director of National Centre for Organic Farming, would deliberate on the issue.

The idea behind organising the conference is to get the feedback from scientists of national and international repute, Sinha said, adding that the agriculture department would incorporate the suggestions and recommendations from the conference. The agriculture cabinet would consider incorporating the views in the roadmap.

Stating that the first green revolution happened in the northern states of Punjab, Haryana but Bihar and north-eastern states were left untouched, Sinha said: “The agriculture output can be raised in Bihar and north eastern states. Bihar can spearhead the second green revolution and for this we are working on organic farming techniques as the excessive use of chemical fertilisers in Punjab and Haryana have adversely affected the fertility of lands in these states.”

On the first day of the conference, Nitish would launch the state’s own brand Jaibi to help and promote the state’s farmers producing their agri products using techniques of organic farming, Sinha said.

He added the state government would initially emphasise on those products in which the state has its speciality like Muzaffarpur’s litchi, Bhagalpur’s jardalu mango, katarni rice, paan (betel), baby corn.

The government has been taking steps for organic certification and marketing to assist farmers in producing agriculture output using organic farming techniques, the agriculture production commissioner said.