Farmers process turmeric at a village in Kandhamal. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 12: Organic farming is a vastly untapped sector in Odisha, limited only to cultivation of turmeric in Kandhamal and ginger in Koraput. However, if proper steps are taken to leverage the growth potential, at least 80 lakh jobs can be created by 2017, reveals a study undertaken by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

Of the total jobs likely to be generated with the expansion of organic farming activities, 60 lakh would be farm-based. The rest would involve processing and storage food, says the study, a copy of which has been submitted to the state government.

The Assocham has also found that the current per capita income of a farmer in the state would jump from Rs 3,000 per month to Rs 10,500 in next five years if organic farming is taken up in a systematic manner.

“This will also help Odisha in arresting its migration problem, which is mainly seen from western and southern parts of the state,” said D.S. Rawat, national secretary of the chamber.

The chamber, in its report, suggested revival of spinning mills for producing best quality of yarns for domestic and international markets, as organic cotton cultivation is a practice in districts such as Kalahandi, Balangir and Koraput.

Sources said as Odisha has one of the largest population of farmers (82 per cent) of the small and marginal category, organic farming is almost a default practice because of less use of fertilisers and chemicals. Farmers of Koraput, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Nuapada, Balangir, Gajapati, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj can become major producers of organic products.

The state government formed Odisha State Organic Certification Agency in 2007 as part of its initiative to provide an institutional mechanism for taking up organic certification in the region.

Saying that states such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar and Bengal have already formed special bodies to take up organic farming initiatives and carry out inter-agency coordination, Rawat urged the Odisha government to strengthen the organic farming sector.

“With fertiliser scarcity crippling the agriculture sector in the state and the industrial progress taking a dip with many big projects lying defunct or affected due to various local and regional problems, the organic revolution can ensure about Rs 600 crore export potential by 2017,” said another member of the chamber.