SUPERINTENDING Agriculture Officer Ravindra Manohare recently said that the Government is planning to set up multiple outlets selling authentic natural and organic farm produces in strategic locations under the public private partnerships (PPP) model. He was expressing his views at the interaction with the public and buyers at the programme organised here by theVidarbha Industries Association (VIA) Agro Food Processing & Rural Development on - “Interaction on Certification and Marketing of Natural & Organic Farm Produces” atVIA Auditorium, Nagpur. State Agriculture Department and National Center for Organic & Natural Farming, Nagpur supported the event. “I am delighted to see the overwhelming response for sustainable natural and organic farming in the region.Vidarbha is on the way of sustainable and profitable organic farming,” he added. In 2004, under the tenth-year plan, a central scheme called the National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF) for capacity building, financial support and human resource development was initiated.

 

In the same year, India also founded the National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF) to implement the policy. Dr Ajay Singh Rajput, Regional Director, NCOF, said “In Nagpur, we are providing a single window sustainable guidance including hands on training at our own Amaravati Road premises and simplified certification process.” Eminent Panelists from the field including Dr Suhas Buddhe, Vice President -VIA, Atul Pande, Past President – VIA, Sumati Agrawal, CEO Sungod Agfarms, Prof Ajay Thomare, Dr Rina Saha, Vivek Suryavanshi, Chandrasekhar Kakde, expressed their views and emphasized on creating more awareness amongst the consumers. Om Jajodia, Chairman of VIA Agro & Rural Development Forum, R B Goenka,Vice presidentVIA, and others were present. Shachi Mallick and Kapil Charan Sahoo, conducted the proceedings while Kiran Gokhale proposed vote of thanks.