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Introduction
The State of Himachal Pradesh is endowed by nature with diverse climatic conditions and ample natural resources. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people of Himachal Pradesh and has an important place in the economy of state. Himachal Pradesh is the only State in the country whose 89.96 percent population (Census 2011) lives in rural areas.
Agriculture is an important source of State Income (GSDP). About 13.62 per cent of the total GSDP comes from agriculture and its allied sectors (Economic Survey GoHP 2020-21). Agriculture/ Horticulture provide direct employment to about 70 per cent of the total workers of the state. Out of the total geographical area of State ( 55.67 lakh hectare) the area of operational holding is about 9.44 lakh hectares and operated by 9.97 lakh farmers with an average holding size is about 0.95 hectare. Distribution of land holding according 2015-16 Agricultural Census shows that 88.86 per cent of the total holdings belongs to small and marginal farmers. About 10.84 per cent of holdings are owned by semi Medium and medium farmers and only 0.30 per cent by large farmers.
There is a limited scope of increasing production through expansion of cultivable land. Like rest of the country, Himachal has almost reached a plateau in so far as cultivable land is concerned. Hence, emphasis has to be on increasing productivity levels besides diversification towards high value crops. Due to an increasing shift towards commercial crops, the area under food –grains production is gradually declining. In 1997-98 this area was 853.88 thousand hectares which has declined to 735.04 thousand hectares in 2019-20.
The major crops of the state are maize, paddy, millets and pulses during Kharif and wheat, barley, gram and other pulses during Rabi. Maize and paddy occupy about 88.4% of the total cropped area in Kharif. During Rabi, wheat and barley occupy about 95.4% of the area. In this way these 4 crops constitute more than 90% of the cropped area in both the seasons.
Further, In order to harness the advantages of organic farming and to build up the soil health and ensuring quality food free from pesticide residue and doubling of farmers’ income, Government of India has been promoting organic farming; the Agency was entrusted for certification of organic farms. India has two organic certification systems in place. Although both the systems are based upon common national standards but adopt different approach for verification and documentation.
- National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) for export and
- Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) for domestic and local markets.
The Agency is following PGS-India certification system and this system is locally focused quality assurance systems, built on a foundation of trust, social networks and knowledge exchange. In the case of organic agriculture, PGS is a process in which people in similar situations (in this case producers) assess, inspect and verify the production practices of each other and collectively declare the entire holding of the group as organic. PGS-India is facilitated by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India through National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF) as its Secretariat.
An outline of seed certification
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Objectives
The main objective of the Himachal Pradesh State Seed & Organic Produce Certification Agency is to maintain high quality seeds of notified varieties and propagating materials and to ensure their genetic identity, known pedigree, high varietal purity and good seedling value through the process of certification. Certified seed has to meet the minimum standards of field as well as laboratory in respect of genetical and physical purity, health and germination etc. as per the Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards prescribed by the Central Seed Certification Board.
To ensure that the seeds certified in the state conform to the standards prescribed by the Central Seed Certification Board, the Agency undertake the promotional activities for seed certification in the state and establish coordination with different departments of the State Government, Central Government, Agriculture and Horticulture Universities and other Agencies with regard to the certified seed production.
To ensure organic production, on-site inspections and records verification that farmers are following their organic system plan as per the norms laid by NCONF under PGS-India to minimize the risk of prohibited substances. Additionally, conduct residue testing to determine if these preventive practices are adequate to avoid contact with substances such as prohibited pesticides, antibiotics and GMOs. Any certified organic operation found to use GMOs or other prohibited substances may face enforcement actions, including loss of certification. Crops exposed to prohibited substances or GMOs may not be sold or labeled as organic; the crops may be sold as conventional, or “non-organic,” products.
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