SIMFED introduces Rateypani and West Pendam farmers to organic farming of medicinal herbs

GANGTOK, 23 May: Sikkim State Co-op Supply & Marketing Federation Limited [SIMFED] is one of the agencies tasked with facilitating Sikkim’s Organic Mission and is currently involved in establishing the Internal Control System [as part of Organic certification] of a 1,030 hectare area spread across Rateypani and West Pendam GPUs in South and West Sikkim.
While working on awareness generation in the area, SIMFED realized that farmers were apprehensive about finding markets for their produce and hesitant to change cropping patterns. Thus, in a move aimed at introducing farmers at the two GPUs of the kind of opportunities available, and to initiate organic farming in a big way, SIMFED roped in the assistance of Himalaya Drug Company, a pharmaceutical multinational company based in Bangalore.

A meeting was organised between the visiting Senior Research Scientists of the Himalaya Drug Company and farmers of the two GPUs after an extensive tour of the area. The meeting was to inform the farmers of these areas to the cultivation of medicinal herbs on a contractual basis., a SIMFED press release informs.
The farmers were also explained that since their area was in “conversion phase”, the Himalaya Drug Company in compliance with the MoU signed with SIMFED, would first carry out trials with such medicinal plants like Tulsi, geranium etc. in their areas.
Farmers of both the GPUs showed keen interest in trying cultivation of medicinal plants on contractual basis for which they were willing to spare some areas of their cultivable land for trials. They were convinced that if the trials were successful, contractual farming would go a long way towards augmenting their livelihoods, the Deputy General Manager, SIMFED, informs.
SIMFED has also held awareness programmes in the area- at the Panchayat Bhawan of West Pendam on 15 April and on 27 April in the Panchayat Bhawan of Rateypani, the release adds. Both these programmes were attended by the respective Panchayats, officials of the line departments and the farmers. The attendees were apprised of the benefits of organic farming and procedures of the Internal Control System.
This was followed by an interactive session wherein farmers put forward their areas of apprehension, difficulties etc.