Sikkim Organic Day 2018 will be celebrated on the theme ‘Transforming Agriculture for a Better World’ with series of activities on January 17 and 18 at Saramsa Garden in Ranipool, East Sikkim.
The event is being organised by Food Security & Agriculture Development and Horticulture & Cash Crops Development Department. The event will have the participation of farmers from different parts of the State along with stakeholders and delegates from in and outside the State.
It has to be mentioned here that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made the landmark declaration of Sikkim as the first Organic Farming State in the country on 18 January in 2016.
Following the same, the Chief Minister Pawan Chamling announced that 18 January will be celebrated as Sikkim Organic Day every year.
The two-day long mega event will have displays of flowers, fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers, spices, mushrooms, medicinal plants, cereals, pulses and seeds of the State at the venue.
The event also has competitions in cabbage, cauliflowers, tomato and broccoli in vegetable category and in cymbidium orchids in flower category. The department has announced to present the Progressive Farmer Award to eight progressive farmers (2 from each district) of the state. The award carries the cash prize of Rs 25,000 each.
Addressing a press conference, FSAD&HCCDD secretary, Khorlo Bhutia said Acharya Bal Krishna from Patanjali Ayurveda, Haridwar will also attend the celebration.
Altogether 300 progressive farmers of the state will attend the programme on each day.
Following announcement of ban on vegetables from outside the state the departmental officials and field functionaries have been working on the war-footing basis on the field.
“We have been visiting wards and GPUs across the state and interacting with farmers. We have found that farmers are very happy and excited with the announcement of the government and it will provide a better market of their produce,” he said.
He added that the department has been providing all necessary technical and other support to farmers.
“We have been working on the war-footing basis and everyone has to work together to provide pure and organic produce to the people of Sikkim. This decision is for the better health of the people of Sikkim,” Bhutia said.
He added that organic mission was not just related to crop production but also a contribution towards the ecology and environment. He informed that the notification on the vegetable ban will be issued very soon.
Bhutia informed that two Kisan Bazars in Gangtok and Namchi would be operational from April this year and two cold storage units of 500 metric tonne capacity each would comeup at Gangtok and Jorethang.