A farmer arranges organically produced ginger at his stall at the expo in Diphu Club on Thursday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Feb. 6: Farmers in Karbi Anglong can finally cash in on the global obsession with health food, thanks to the coveted tag of being an organic agriculture zone.

Dispur conferred the distinction on Karbi Anglong at the three-day Agriculture and Allied Expo 2009, which got under way at Diphu on Thursday.

State agriculture minister Pramila Rani Brahma even added that the government wanted to bring an additional 2,000 hectares under organic cultivation.

“The government will provide all kinds of assistance soon, given the district’s potential in this sector,” she said while inaugurating the exhibition, being attended by 150 self-help groups and 1,000 participants.

Organic farming is now considered a viable alternative to conventional farming in Karbi Anglong. The district has already earned a name for itself by producing some of the finest organic low-fibre ginger in the country.

Nearly 10,000 farmers produce 30,000 tonnes of ginger annually.

“The district has 600 hectares of certified area under organic cultivation and the government now wants to lay stress on cultivation of pineapples, red chillies and oranges. Farmers exported 200 metric tonnes of ginger last year,” additional director (agriculture), T.D. Hanse, said.

“It (the distinction of being an organic agriculture zone) is a matter of great pride for the district and the status will hugely benefit our farmers as organic products fetch very handsome returns in the global market. It will provide a good exposure to our tribal farmers who are not keen on using inorganic fertilisers, unlike non-tribals in the district,” Hanse said.

Fourteen laptops and digital cameras were distributed among village-level extension officials of the district to help them collect and store data on agriculture and also remain connected with their higher-ups.

“In this age of rapidly changing technology, it will only be useful to arm our field workers with the latest gadgets,” Hanse said.

Several training programmes have been held to promote farming with yard manure, green manure, bio-fertiliser, bio-pesticides which are eco-friendly, another official said.

“With the organic status on the district, farmers will have to maintain a high level of quality and ensure that no chemicals are used,” the official said.

An integrated mushroom laboratory and a farmer’s growth centre-cum-agri-health clinic were also inaugurated at the exhibition.

Workshops on bird flu and its control, composite pisciculture, organic farming in the hills and production technology of passion fruits are some of the other highlights of the expo.