Governor lauds Sikkim’s Organic Mission success

GANGTOK, 12 June: Minister for Food Security and Agriculture Development Department, Somnath Poudyal called on Governor Shriniwas Patil at Raj Bhavan today. He was accompanied by Principal Director, Food Security and Agricultural Development Department, K Bhutia on the occasion.
A press communiqué from Raj Bhavan informs that the Minister greeted the Governor and also offered a few varieties of organically grown vegetables. Interacting with the Minister, the Governor expressed his happiness over the mention of Sikkim’s Organic Mission’s success in the Address of Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha on 11 June 2014 and congratulated the Minister and the department and on the achievement.
The Governor also conveyed his congratulatory message to the Chief Minister in a telephonic conversation, for his consistent effort and commitment towards this front.
It may be mentioned that Prime Minister, in his address in the Lok Sabha on 11 June had lauded the effort and success of the State of Sikkim in launching the Organic Mission in 2003 to transform the State into a 100% Organic State by the year 2015. He was thanking the President for his address to the Joint Session of Parliament in Central Hall.
The Prime Minister had acknowledged that Sikkim can lead the country in the movement of transforming the entire North Eastern Region of the country into an organic region in view of its climatic suitability.
Interacting with the Minister, the Governor stressed on the need to utilize the opportunity to take maximum leverage from the goodwill of Prime Minister and his new government towards Organic Mission. He urged the Minister to use the recognition provided by the Prime Minister and promote the organic produce of the State aggressively in the national and global market.
The Governor suggested that the policy of the new government in the state which will be outlined in the coming Assembly Session should be directed towards ensuring motivation and greater participation of the people of Sikkim in transforming the state into a 100% Organic State in the shortest possible time.
Dwelling on the commercial aspects of the Organic Mission, the Governor urged the department to introduce soil profiling system to choose soil specific crops in each farm area for higher yield. The cropping pattern if required needs to be changed accordingly, the Governor added.
On the subject of infrastructure and marketing of organic produce of the state, the Governor urged the department to come out with accurate data of the domestic consumption and volume of yield of organic produce to be marketed outside the state. The produce being perishable items, need proper cold storage facilities, transportation and easy market, for which the department should extensively  correspond and collaborate with Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, he suggested.
There is a need to promote the mission in the print and electronic media across the country and  an appropriate strategy for the same should be formulated by the government, the Governor stressed.
The Governor assured full cooperation in the efforts of the government towards improvement of infrastructure, transportation and marketing of the organic produce of the state towards realization of  the goal of becoming the first Organic State in the country in the near future.
In the telephonic conversation with the Chief Minister, the Governor also mentioned about another goal envisaged by the new government led by the Prime Minister of India for providing Pucca House with basic amenities to each and every household of the country by the year 2019, commemorating the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This was mentioned by the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha on 11 June 2014.
During the conversation, the Governor conveyed that since Sikkim has already launched the Kutcha House Free Sikkim Mission to ensure pucca house for each household in the state by the year 2015 which is nearing completion, Sikkim could achieve the distinction of being the first state to achieve the goal by the end of the year 2014. It will be yet another remarkable achievement of the State and an exemplary feat for other states to emulate, the Governor mentioned in his conversation  with the Chief Minister.