National Centre Of Organic Farming

National Centre of Organic Farming is a nodal organization for promotion of organic farming under INM Division, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare,Government of India under Soil Health Management component of National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA). NCOF came into force in 2004, for implementing National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF) along with its Regional Centres at Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Imphal, Jabalpur, Nagpur  and Panchkula. NPOF was launched with an outlay of Rs. 57.05 crore as a pilot project with effect from 01.10.2004 (during 10^th Plan). The project was continued in 11^th Plan with an allocation of Rs. 101.00 crores where as in the 12^th Plan, the project merged into the Central Sector Scheme “National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)” under program component Soil Health Management with total outlay of Rs 293 Crores (out of which Rs. 57 Crore meant for continuation of NCOF) for the activities of organic farming.

Currently National Centre of Organic Farming, Ghaziabad and its 9 Regional Centres located at Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Gandhinagar, Ghaziabad,  Imphal, Jabalpur, Nagpur, Panchkula and Patna have been functioning under NMSA for-

• Promotion of organic farming in the country through technical capacity building of all stakeholders including human resource development .
• Technology dissemination & strain supply.
• Statutory quality control of biofertilizers and organic fertilizers under the Fertilizer Control Order (FCO, 1985).
• Promotion of low cost Participatory Gurantee system-India (PGS-India) for organic certification.
• Promotion of production of quality organic and biological inputs by support for organic input production units under Capital Investment Back Ended Subsidy Scheme through NABARD.
• Awareness and publicity through print and electronic media.