Organic Cultivation
What is Organic Cultivation?
Organic Cultivation is a type of farming
that does not involve usage of chemicals like chemical fertilizers and
pesticides. In recent years, organic agriculture has gained considerable
importance. Major shift has been observed in the farming culture, due to
which several farmers have begun practicing this traditional method of
cultivation. The reason being, organic cultivation is proven as the means to
produce safe foodstuffs and preserve the environment. But even today,
numerous small farmers have been practicing organic farming, but are unable
to reap its benefits.
The spices and other food stuffs produced from this type of farming are
certainly without any harmful ingredients. We, at Sunrise Spices practice
this type of farming to product best quality spices.
How is organic cultivation different from general
Cultivation?
Multitudes of benefits are associated with the organic cultivation. Beside
being one of the traditional methods of farming, this type of cultivation is
also considered to be better than the general cultivation. Many facts are
associated with this conclusion, one being the organic fertilizers are
carbon based compounds that increase the productivity of plants.
The organic cultivation have various benefits over general cultivation,
some of which are underlined below :
Non-toxic spices : By using organic fertilizers in our farming unit,
the spices produced are free of harmful chemicals. As a result,
end-consumers who use these spices in their food items will be less prone to
diseases such as cancer, heart stroke and skin disorders, as compared to
those who consume the spices produced using chemical fertilizers.
Fertility of soil : Organic cultivation ensures that the farms
remain fertile for years. On the contrary, the practice of general or
inorganic farming has resulted in infertility of the land, forcing many
farmers to increase the chemical fertilizer inputs or leave farming.
Safe environment : Organic fertilizers are easily bio-degradable and
do not cause environmental pollution, but chemical fertilizers contaminate
land and water. Moreover, the usage of chemical fertilizers can cause
varying diseases in human beings and extinction of a number of plant, animal
and insect species.
Organic Cultivation Process
Organic cultivation involves distinct
aspects apart from the addition of organic fertilizers and pesticides. We,
at Sunrise Spices adopt distinct steps to cultivate the spices plant.
The varying steps are underlined below :
- Maintaining the quality of soil
Apart from varying inorganic particles, formed from sedimentation
of the rock, the soil constitutes organic matter, both living and
dead. Moreover, numerous microorganisms are also present in soil,
which are essential for the spice plant's healthy growth.
- Testing the quality of soil
To maintain a healthy soil, we, at Sunrise Spices first test the
quality of soil in our in-house soil testing laboratory.
- Adding essential nutrients
Thereafter, appropriate nutrients are added in the soil. These
nutrients are essential for the spice plant growth. Organic
fertilizers are added in the cultivation as per the testing done in
the soil testing laboratory. Inorganic nutrients such as lava sand,
basalt, etc., are also added, at times. Apart from these, several
other organic matter such as molasses or dried grass is added to
maintain moisture in the soil.
- Tilling
Machine tilling is done on the soil after performing the
aforementioned steps. At time, hand spade is also used for this
purpose, as it retains the soil structure. Ï Sowing: After
these steps, organic seeds for sowing are used in our spice
cultivation.
- Controlling pests and diseases
The pests and diseases are controlled in the organic cultivation by
using organic fungicides, insecticides, and pesticides. Pests are
controlled with the help of trap crops and the bugs are controlled
with the help of frogs, toads, etc.
- Controlling the weeds
Organic herbicides are used by us for controlling weeds. The weeds
are also controlled by mulching process, which is piling up organic
matter such as dry grass and leaves on the soil surface. This
practice suppresses the growth of weeds.
|
Benefits of Organic Cultivation
Organic Cultivation has numerous
benefits. According to a research conducted by the Office of Evaluation and
Studies (OE), International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), this
type of cultivation has many benefits over other forms of cultivation.
Some of the benefits of Organic Cultivation are underlined
below:
- High premium : Spices produced from organic cultivation
are premium in quality that the conventional spices.
- Low investment : Organic farming does not involve heavy
capital investment as required in chemical farming. The yearly costs
incurred by practicing this type of farming are also low. Further
most of the small farmers are dependent on natural rain for water.
- Less dependence on money lenders : The practicer of this
form of cultivation are less dependent on the money lenders. As
compared to the chemical inputs, which are very costly, the organic
fertilizers do not require huge investment.
- Synergy with life forms : Organic farming involves
synergy with various life forms like plant and animals. With greater
understanding of this synergy, it becomes easier for the farmers to
implement these farming methods.
- Traditional knowledge : This types of farming requires
abundance of traditional knowledge, which the farmers are well aware
of. Moreover, in case of organic farming, the dependence on chemical
know-how is not at all required.
|
Trends of Organic Cultivation
Organic Cultivation has become one of
the popular methods of farming, in the recent times. This trend is exhibited
from the world wide demand of the organic spices and other food products.
World demand for organic foods
The global demand for organically produced spices and other food products
is growing rapidly in developed countries like Europe, USA, Japan and
Australia. Worldwide, food trends are changing with the increasing health
concern. As organic foods & spices are free from chemical contaminants,
the demand for these products is steadily increasing to a great extent.
According to the ITC, UNCTAD/GAT, more than 130 countries are engrossed in
certified organic foods cultivation, out of which 100 are from Asia and
Africa. Internationally, a shift towards traditional / ethnic medicines is
an essential factor contributing to the growth of organic cultivation. Since
spices form part of many medicines, the demand for organically produced
spices is also increasing.
Initiatives taken by Spice Board of India for promoting the production
and export of organic spices have widely affected the overall cultivation of
the spices in India.
The Indian Initiative
Export of organic spices from India
started long ago. India, at present exports around 50 tonnes of different
varieties of organic spices. Exports of spices have been significantly
increased due to the major shift of farming practices to organic methods.
Spices Board India has prepared a comprehensive document on production of
organic spices. It includes the organic concepts, principles, basic
standards, production guidelines, documentation, inspection and
certification related to production methods.
Research programs on organic cultivation form the important part in spice
production. The research work is carried out at the Spices Board's Indian
Cardamon Research Institute at ldukki district in Kerala.
©
Sunrise Foods Limited. All Rights Reserved (Terms
of Use)
