ગુજરાતી
English
52% Decline in Organic Farming in One Year
Dilip Patel
Ahmedabad, September 26, 2025
Certified organic farming has declined in Gujarat’s agricultural sector. Meanwhile, claims are being made that natural or organic farming has increased. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Mission for Natural Farming, which appears to be failing in Gujarat. Governor Acharya Devvrat has claimed to have successfully connected 1 million farmers to natural farming, but it was revealed in Parliament that he has failed. Organic farming in Gujarat has declined by 53 percent in one year. Due to low production and lack of market mechanisms, farmers are abandoning organic farming. On the other hand, the trend of organic farming is increasing globally every year.
According to a statement released by the central government in Parliament, the area of land certified under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) in Gujarat has declined from 9.36 lakh hectares in 2022-23 to 4.37 lakh hectares in 2023-24. This is a decrease of 5 lakh hectares, or 53.41 percent. This is a worrying decline. This decline in Gujarat certainly demands analysis. Despite the decline in cultivation, Gujarat ranks fourth nationally in certified organic farming.
Despite the decline in certified organic farming, Gujarat is among the top states. Madhya Pradesh ranks third with 10.13 lakh hectares, Maharashtra with 9.67 lakh hectares, and Rajasthan with 5.52 lakh hectares.
Currently, over 7.92 lakh hectares of land in Gujarat is under natural farming, practiced by over 9.71 lakh farmers. Dang district is a 100% natural farming district. However, it has struggled to find markets for its products.
In Gujarat, farmers are being pressured directly and indirectly by the government and institutions to use traditional methods like cow dung and cow urine.
Consumers and farmers want to shift to chemical-free farming.
It is important to understand the key differences between natural farming and organic farming. Natural farming completely avoids external inputs, instead focusing on promoting microbial activity and soil surface decomposition.
Organic farming uses fertilizers and other approved substances, and is subject to strict certification regulations under the NPOP. Natural farming reduces the burden of complex certification processes and costs. Traditional methods are more heavily emphasized.
Challenges of Organic Farming
1 – Gujarat’s 900,000 farmers have no direct market or marketplace for retailers, exporters, and consumers.
2 – There are no organic online marketplaces or e-commerce platforms. FPOs are not as successful as they should be.
3 – There is no organized market like APMC for farmers. Therefore, they do not receive good prices.
4 – Obtaining organic certification is expensive.
5 – The agricultural university, the Gujarat University of Natural Agricultural Sciences in Halol, is conducting insufficient research on organic farming techniques and crop varieties.
6 – There is a lack of research and development and training for farmers.
7 – There is a lack of cold storage, processing facilities, and supply chain infrastructure.
8 – Post-harvest losses occur.
9 – Low productivity is the reason.
10 – Fertilizers and pest control, including organic medicines, often result in lower yields.
11 – Climate and pests are challenges.
12 – Misleading labels like “natural” and “chemical-free” create distrust among consumers.
13 – There is no provision for the Gujarat Organic logo to build trust.
14 – There is no digitization of certification for transparency.
15 – There is not enough subsidy or financial support available when adopting organic farming.
16 – Scientifically developed solutions for soil fertility and pest control have not been developed.
17 – Organic products are expensive.
18 – There are no strategies and insurance schemes to protect against yield losses.
19 – There are no tax incentives for organic products.
20 – Due to the EU not recognizing PGS, the market for Indian producers is limited compared to producers with NPOP certification.
21 – Organic standards and regulations in global trade hinder exports.
The World of Organic Agriculture 2025
Organic farming is practiced in approximately 190 countries, and at least 4.3 million farmers cultivate organically on approximately 99 million hectares of arable land.
The latest statistics from the “World of Organic Agriculture” report, published by the organic agriculture research institute FiBL and IFOAM – Organic International, are presented annually at Biofecht in Nuremberg, Germany.
By the end of 2023, 98.9 million hectares of land worldwide will be under organic cultivation. This represents an increase of 2.6 percent, or 2.5 million hectares, compared to 2022.
Latin America saw the largest increase, at 1 million hectares, or 10.8 percent. Africa saw the largest increase, reaching 3.4 million hectares, a 24 percent increase.
Oceania is the leading region with 5.32 million hectares, accounting for more than half of the global organic area. Europe is followed by Europe with 1.95 million hectares and Latin America with 1.03 million hectares.
By country, Australia is second with 5.3 million hectares, followed by India with 4.5 million hectares. Argentina is fourth with 4.0 million hectares.
Liechtenstein has the largest area.
The country with the largest organic area.
Globally, organic farming will cover 2.1 percent of arable land in 2023.
Liechtenstein leads with 44.6 percent of arable land. Austria has 27.3 percent, and Uruguay has 25.4 percent. A total of 22 countries reported that 10 percent or more of their land is organic. Most arable land is organic. (Google translation from Gujarati)
