Under NHM, financial assistance is provided for setting up of vermi-compost units at 50 per cent of the cost subject to a maximum of Rs 30,000 per beneficiary; funds are also provided at 50 per cent of the cost subject to maximum of Rs 10,000 per hectare for a maximum area of four hectares per beneficiary or adoption of organic farming. Similar norms of assistance are applicable for assistance given under RKVY.
Under National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF), financial assistance is also provided as back-ended subsidy through NABARD for setting up/strengthening of existing bio-fertiliser and/or bio-pesticide production units, assistance upto 25 per cent of total financial outlay or Rs 40 lakh, whichever is less; and for setting up of fruit and vegetable waste/agro-waste compost production units at 33 per cent of the total financial outlay or Rs 60 lakh, whichever is less.
About 0.76 per cent of the total cultivable land available (141 million hectare) has been brought under organic farming.
This information was given by Harish Rawat, minister of state for agriculture and food processing industries, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
