Playing a revolutionary role in this transformation is MOMA, the short form of Manipur Organic Mission Agency. Instituted as the nodal agency for the central scheme – Mission Organic Value Chain Development for the North Eastern Region – of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, MOMA functions under the aegis of department of Horticulture & Soil Conservation, government of Manipur. Initially 3000 hectares in the 6 hill districts of Manipur is being covered under the scheme.
“We’ve chosen the 6 hill districts because we believe that in these places, the farming practice is still organic by default and we can get the organic certification quite easily. We also cover 6 crops and one of them is king chilli, also known Umorok in Manipuri language. Starting from providing all the planting materials upto value added processing; the depth of horticulture & soil conversation will give all the technical know-how and will also undertake monitoring and overcoming problems faced by the farmers”, informed Asst Agriculture Officer L Gibit Singh.
Under the organic mission, 60,000 king chilli plants have been planted in 100 hectares in Sarirakhong by 500 farmers of the village. Each plant normally yields a minimum 250 aromatic chillies. Each chilli on average fetches about Rs 5 – Rs 10 depending on the season.
The six organic companies of Manipur will become fully operational organic companies after undergoing a 3 years certification process.
