6th Year of Sikkim as Organic State

GANGTOK,: Former Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has accused the SKM government of putting Sikkim’s organic mission completely in the back-burner, trying to “erase the very thing by which the world recognises Sikkim”.
“Though Sikkim has set such a high benchmark in the history of agriculture, it is with sadness I must point out that the SKM government has put Sikkim’s organic mission completely in the back-burner. The organic mission has been totally wiped out of the government’s vocabulary and State budget. Not a single penny has been allocated towards organic farming. Even more alarming is that chemical fertilizers are being brought into the State and are freely sold in the market,” said Chamling in a press statement on Tuesday.
Chamling was giving a statement on the 6th anniversary of Sikkim being declared the first ever Organic Farming State by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this day in 2016.
“Organic Sikkim is an asset not just for us Sikkimese people but for the entire global community. We made Sikkim an inspiration for the world showing that 100% organic is not just a distant dream: that it is achievable. However, the current SKM government by erasing the organic mission is destroying the inspiration that Sikkim is for the States across the globe which too aspire to become completely organic,” said the former Chief Minister.
“It is also strange that the SKM government is trying to erase the very thing by which the world recognizes Sikkim. This government does not understand the value of our organic brand. I urge the government to rise above petty politics and continue to do the work which is in the interest of Sikkim and its people, irrespective of whether it is an SDF legacy or not,” said Chamling.
Chamling maintained that the SDF government’s policy of organic farming gave an identity to Sikkim and the Sikkimese people. “The world recognizes Sikkim due to its organic brand. We have done a lot of work in 25 years which has given global recognition and identity to the people of Sikkim, one of which is Organic Farming. Even though critics refuse to recognize our pioneering work in agriculture, they are forced to introduce Sikkim as the first organic State when they travel beyond our borders. Despite what people say, SDF’s contribution to Sikkim by making it the first organic state is a global milestone that no one can destroy,” he said.
In his message on the occasion, the SDF president congratulated the people of Sikkim for achieving this grand feat of becoming the first 100% organic State in the world. “I salute those who are still continuing organic practices till today. We have written our name in history with our organic story. Let us pledge to continue to keep our organic practices alive,” he said.
Chamling recalled that the organic mission saw Sikkim winning the One World  Award (Grand Prix) given by IFOAM-Organics and Rapunzel in 2017 and the Future Policy Gold Award given by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2018. It gives me great joy that during our SDF government, we set a monumental example for the world showing that 100% organic is indeed possible!, he said.