Feasibility of Organic Farming of Fruits in Himachal Pradesh

Recently there has been a lot of debate on the feasibility of organic farming in a highly populated country like India. Though there is no doubt about the beneficial effects of organic food on human health and environment. But, the most debated point is regarding the fall in farm production and productivity. In view of these facts, the present paper attempts to examine the feasibility of organic farming of fruits in Himachal Pradesh by using regression analysis and linear programming technique.

In order to carry out the analysis, a sample survey was conducted in district Bilaspur of Himachal Pradesh. The data was collected on the basis of simple random sampling during the agricultural year 2015-16. There are two types of farmers employing organic cultivation of fruits in the selected area. The first group (G₁) is of those who use organic sprays along with organic manure made by decomposition of animal wastes and plant residues. On the other hand, there is the second group (G₂) of those farmers who use organic manure but not organic sprays.

The results obtained by using Big M Methodreveal that the highest level of production achieved with the objective of maximisation of output was 60 quintals per hectare for G₁ as compared to the average production of 21 quintals per hectare observed for this category during the survey. On the other hand, the maximum level of production achieved for G₂ was to the tune of 37 quintals per hectare as compared to the existing average of 15 quintals per hectare, reflecting nearly two and half times increase in production. It came to light that the optimum level of output can be increased by nearly 1.6 times with the use of organic sprays as compared to without their use. Thus, the study brings in to light the fact that there is a considerable scope to increase the production of fruits in both the groups by using optimal combination plans. Similarly, output can also be increased manifold by applying organic sprays on fruit plants. There is an urgent need to prepare optimal combination plans by keeping in view the local conditions of the area.