An Assessment of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana in India

Abstract

Organic farming has emerged as a solution for addressing the problem put forth by conventional farming and has become of vital importance for the public, especially farmers and policymakers. There are various programs and policies implemented by the government to promote the larger adoption of organic farming in India. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) was a centrally sponsored scheme launched in the period 2015-16 that aimed to encourage organic farming among the farmers especially the youth in the country and promote domestic organic markets through a cluster-based approach. The scheme promoted PGS-India (Participatory Guarantee System) certification which implies organic certification based on mutual trust, following locally relevant organic norms and mandates. From its launch till 2021-22, total funds of Rs 1661.46 crores had been released for the scheme before the merger of the scheme with Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). There were 32,384 clusters, an area of 6.53 lakh hectares covered, and 16.19 lakh farmers associated with the scheme. During the period 2015-16-2021-22, the CAGR for the organic farmland area under PKVY was 27.92 percent. This paper reviews existing literature and government reports to assess the basic structure, functioning, and performance of PKVY, the benefits derived by the farmers through the scheme, and the challenges faced in the implementation of the scheme.