SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir received Rs 13.81 crore under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) during 2024-25 and 2025-26, of which Rs 11.12 crore has been spent, benefiting 19,791 farmers, the Union Government informed Parliament on Tuesday.
In a written reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2742, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur said the Union Cabinet approved the National Mission on Natural Farming on November 25, 2024 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at encouraging farmers to adopt natural farming practices in clusters.
The Minister said farmers are not being compelled to shift to natural farming. Instead, the scheme provides an output-based incentive of Rs 4,000 per acre per year for two years, limited to one acre per farmer. The assistance is meant to support natural farming practices, farmer training, livestock maintenance and the preparation or purchase of bio-inputs.
The reply also highlighted that Ladakh received Rs 37.79 lakh under the mission, spent Rs 26.57 lakh, and benefited 621 farmers during the same period.
The Government said it is simultaneously promoting organic farming through the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) across all States and Union Territories and the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER), both of which provide end-to-end support covering production, certification, processing and marketing.
Addressing concerns over certification, the Centre said the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS)-India has been designed as a simplified, low-cost and training-based certification system suited to small and marginal farmers. According to the reply, 16.35 lakh hectares have been certified under PGS-India, benefiting 24.14 lakh farmers, while more than 500 organic brands have been developed under the programme.
The Government also stated that 39.68 lakh hectares have been certified under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), which caters to exports and large-scale domestic production through third-party certification.
The reply noted that the National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) has signed agreements with nodal agencies in 28 States and Union Territories, enrolled 14,550 cooperative societies, launched over 28 certified organic products, and recorded sales of about Rs 40 crore through its ‘Bharat Organics’ brand.
On pricing, the Centre said no separate Minimum Support Price (MSP) has been proposed for certified natural or organic produce, maintaining that such products generally command higher market prices.
Nationally, the Government said the NMNF has released Rs 668.95 crore, spent 561.85 crore, and benefited 20.93 lakh farmers during 2024-25 and 2025-26. Under PKVY, 18.93 lakh hectares have been brought under organic cultivation, benefiting 33.63 lakh farmers across the country.
