Centre to set up organic farming research institute in Gangtok

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today announced setting up of a National Organic Farming Research Institute (NOFRI) in Gangtok, Sikkim.
A decision in this regard was taken at 87th Annual General Meeting of Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
"Sikkim has recently been declared as the first organic state in the country. In view of above, Union Agriculture Minister has given approval to execute NOFRI at Gangtok," an official statement said.
Required financial resources, manpower and infrastructure facilities will be made available accordingly, it said.
The Institute will provide research and technological backstopping to organic production system in the country in general and north eastern region in particular.

The Centre is promoting organic farming in a big way under the new scheme 'Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana'. The scheme aims to develop 10,000 organic clusters covering 5 lakh acres of area in the next three years.