Internalising Meghalaya towards organic agriculture: Issues and priorities

The present study is an ex-ante analysis to examine the potential of organic farming in Meghalaya, covering the objectives of input availability; status of fruits, vegetables and spices production; economics of organic food production during conversion period; analysis of the likely hassles which may inhibit the internalising process of organic farming in Meghalaya and the relevance of organic farming to biodiversity management. Due to the limited scope for crop rotation, the study has suggested appropriate crop-mix or short-duration crops (particularly leguminous) for maintenance and enhancing of the soil fertility status. Ginger, pineapple and turmeric have been identified as the potential crops for organic farming in Meghalaya. Vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower and potato which also have favourable economics should be considered to be grown organically at the later stage. Most importantly, the synergy between comparative advantage and price-competitiveness has to be achieved to ensure the success of organic agriculture. To reduce the risk, public-private partnership should be encouraged and state government must come forward to create investmentfriendly environment. High cost for certification and documentation has been perceived as the most important hassle for organic farming. To realize the organic potential, identification of niche market analyzing the existing institutional linkages/gap has been observed extremely important to facilitate the internalizing process of organic farming in Meghalaya. Organic agriculture with scientific appropriation has been perceived as the best answer for maintaining biodiversity as well as improving the income of farmers through increasing the agricultural output per unit of area in Meghalaya.