Union Defence Minister declares U.T. of Lakshadweep as Fully Organic Territory

2^nd October, 2021, Lakshadweep

Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Defence Minister declared the entire Union Territory of Lakshadweep as the Fully Organic Territory while inaugurating the Mahatma Gandhi’s Statue during the celebrations of 152^nd Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi organized by the Administration of Union Territory of Lakshadweep at Kavaratti, Lakshadweep today. Shri Singh also applauded the four major programmes of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Lakshadweep of ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi during the occasion. The Union Minister presented the Certificate of Declaration to the Shri Praful Patel, Administrator, Union Territory of Lakshadweep.

The Certification is under the PGS-India, a Participatory Organic Guarantee Programme of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India. The Certification will enhance the coconut production by the farmers and the coconut value-addition enterprises in the Islands paving the way for increased value-addition and local employment generation bringing in big economic gains for the Islands.

The Union Minister commissioned the Poultry Feed and Organic Manure Making Unit of the ICAR-CMFRI, KVK, Lakshadweep established in association with the ICAR-CIFT, Kochi as a part of demonstrating the ICAR-CIFT’s technology for the production of poultry feed and organic manure from fish wastes. The Unit can produce One Tonne feed / manure per day and will be operated by the Fishermen Cooperative Society, Kavaratti on commercial basis. The Tuna Fishery of Lakshadweep generates nearly 3,000 Tonnes of waste annually which can yield nearly 4,000 Tonnes of poultry feed / manure every year.

The Minister also inaugurated the U.T. Level Demonstration of Coconut Sap (Neera) Chiller Box Technology of the ICAR-CPCRI, Kasaragod, Kerala by the KVK by distributing the Sap Chiller Boxes to two farmers from the different Islands. The ICAR-CPCRI and ICAR-CMFRI, KVK, Lakshadweep are carrying out the large scale demonstrations of use of the technology which includes imparting the “Neera” tapping skills to the young and prospective tappers besides, development of the various products from the Sap for enhancing the farmers’ income and employment generation.

The Lakshadweep is the Second Union Territory / State to be declared fully organic after Sikkim.

The ICAR-CMFRI, KVK-Lakshadweep under the ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Bengaluru is the Regional Council that is responsible for registering the farmers besides capacity building and issuance of certificates to the farmers / groups from time to time. Nearly 8,000 farmers have been registered with the KVK, Lakshadweep with the active support of the Department of Agriculture, U.T. of Lakshadweep.

(Source: ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, Kerala & ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka)