Promotion of Organic Farming under State Organic Policy

What is the Promotion of Organic Farming scheme under Gujarat's state organic policy?

Promotion of Organic Farming under State Organic Policy is a state sponsored scheme of the Directorate of Agriculture, which works under the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, Government of Gujarat. The Directorate lists it among its state sponsored schemes as assistance to encourage farmers to adopt organic farming, and the application route is the state's farmer services portal, i-Khedut.

The scheme sits inside Gujarat's broader state organic farming policy, which the government has pursued through several arms at once: a certification agency, the Gujarat Organic Products Certification Agency, listed by the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department among its boards and corporations; extension work by the Directorate of Agriculture; and financial assistance to individual farmers delivered through i-Khedut.

What problem the scheme addresses

Converting a farm from chemical to organic cultivation is not a decision a farmer can take costlessly. Yields typically dip during the conversion years before soil biology recovers. Organic inputs; compost, biofertilisers, botanical pest control: must be bought or produced on the farm. And the price premium that makes organic worthwhile is only available to produce that carries a third-party organic certificate, which itself costs money and takes a multi-year conversion period to obtain.

How the scheme responds

• Assistance towards organic inputs used in place of chemical fertiliser and pesticide.
• Support for on-farm manure production units, so the farm generates its own fertility rather than buying it in every season.
• Support towards the cost of organic certification, which is what converts organic practice into an organic price.

Who is eligible for organic farming assistance in Gujarat?

You can apply if:

• You are a farmer resident in Gujarat.
• You own agricultural land in your own name, evidenced by the 7/12 and 8-A village land records. This is the fundamental test for i-Khedut components.
• You are adopting organic cultivation on that land, or already practising it and seeking certification.
• You have an Aadhaar-seeded bank account in the same name as the land record, because the assistance is paid by direct benefit transfer.
• You apply during an open window announced on the i-Khedut portal.

You cannot apply, or the application will not be accepted, if:

• Your land is not recorded in your own name. Tenant farmers, sharecroppers and agricultural labourers are not eligible under a land-record-based component.
• You are applying outside the announced window. i-Khedut simply does not accept the form.
• Your name differs between the 7/12 extract, Aadhaar and bank passbook, in which case verification stalls at the taluka office.
• You have already drawn assistance for the same input or unit in the same year under this or another scheme. Double benefit for one asset is not allowed.
• You bought the inputs or built the unit before applying, since the components run on prior approval followed by reimbursement.

How much assistance does the scheme give?

Rates under Gujarat's agriculture schemes are notified component-wise each financial year by the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department and published on the live i-Khedut scheme page. They also vary — a component may be expressed as a percentage of cost with a per-hectare or per-unit ceiling, and some components carry a higher rate or a reserved share for SC and ST farmers.

For that reason, the honest answer to "how much will I get" is: open the current i-Khedut scheme page for the specific component and read the rate printed there before you buy anything. A rate carried over from a previous year's circular is the most common source of disappointment at the reimbursement stage, because the sanctioned amount is calculated on the current year's notification, not on the figure the farmer had in mind.

What documents are required?

How to apply for organic farming assistance in Gujarat

1. Open the i-Khedut portal at ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in and go to the schemes section. Check whether the organic farming component you want is showing an open application window; windows are short and are the single most important thing to get right.
2. Register with your Aadhaar number and mobile number if you are a new user, or log in if you have applied before. Complete your farmer profile with land survey numbers, village, taluka and bank details.
3. Select the organic farming component, fill in the application with the area to be brought under organic cultivation and the input or unit you are seeking, and submit it online.
4. Print the submitted application, sign it, and attach self-attested copies of your 7/12 and 8-A extract, Aadhaar card, bank passbook, and caste certificate if you are claiming a reserved share.
5. Submit the printed set at your taluka agriculture office or the district agriculture office within the time stated on the portal, and take an acknowledgement.
6. Wait for the pre-approval or work order. Do not buy the input or build the unit before you have it, because pre-approval purchases are normally not reimbursed.
7. Buy from a registered supplier, keep the original bill, and submit it with the completion report so the assistance is credited to your bank account.

How do I check my application status?

Use the application status option on i-Khedut with your application number and registered mobile number. The portal shows whether the application is submitted, verified, approved or rejected. Where the online status has not moved for weeks, follow up in person at the taluka agriculture office. The physical file, not the portal, is where most i-Khedut applications actually sit during verification.

Why organic farming applications get rejected

• Land not in the applicant's own name on the 7/12 and 8-A extract.
• Application filed outside the open window, or the printed copy not submitted at the taluka office within the stated days.
• Name mismatch across Aadhaar, land record and bank passbook.
• Purchase made before approval, which takes the claim outside the reimbursement rule.
• Bill from an unregistered supplier, or a bill without GST and supplier details.
• Annual target exhausted for the component in your district, after which applications are carried to the next cycle rather than sanctioned.
• Duplicate claim for the same area or unit already assisted in the same year.

What else supports organic farming in Gujarat?

Farmers converting to organic in Gujarat generally use more than one route at once. The Gujarat Organic Products Certification Agency handles certification of organic produce in the state. The state also runs a scheme on the promotion of use of Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM) to raise soil organic carbon, applied for on the same i-Khedut portal, and the centrally sponsored Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana supports cluster-based organic conversion with certification through the PGS-India system. Checking which of these your district is currently running, before committing to a conversion plan, is worth an hour at the taluka agriculture office.

Where do I raise a grievance?

• Taluka agriculture office, first point of contact for verification and reimbursement delays.
• District Agriculture Officer for the district, where the taluka office does not resolve the matter.
• Directorate of Agriculture, Gujarat at dag.gujarat.gov.in, which publishes head office and district officer contact details.
• Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department at agri.gujarat.gov.in, the parent department and final escalation point.

Applying on i-Khedut is free. No agent or middleman can obtain a sanction for a fee, and no departmental officer will ask for a share of the assistance credited to your account.