375

Organic Farming : Technologies and Strategies (2016) : 375-396

Editor : B. Gangwar and N. K. Jat
Today & Tomorrow’s Printes and Publishers, New Delhi - 110 002, India

18. Islands zone : Andaman and Nicobar Islands

A. Velmurugan1, T.P. Swarnam2, D.R. Singh3 and S. Dam Roy4
ICAR-Central Islands Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair-
744101

The Islands of Andaman & Nicobar is located 1200 km East of

mainland India in the Bay of Bengal and falls under hot humid to perhumid
Islands eco-regions which is rich in biodiversity and suitable for wide
variety of crop plants. But the land area available for cultivation is only
50,000 ha and in general, the level of inorganic input use in agriculture is
minimal and the entire Nicobar Islands is organic by default. It is estimated
that plantations and spices are grown in about 11,500 ha area organically
for which the Islands administration is making efforts to certify them. These
organic products such as coconut, pepper, cinnamon, clove, banana etc.
though uncertified goes to the local consumption market and to a limited
extent to tourism sector.
The assessment of land resources, despite the above fact, indicates
the possibility for organic cultivation of high value crops and high demand
in the export market for its value added products. There is a possibility to
increase the productivity of the acid soils by suitable organic amendments.
Therefore, organic farming has tremendous scope in these Islands which
can provide enhanced income to the farmers. The details are presented in
the following sections.
Islands ecosystem
The Islands ecosystem of Andaman & Nicobar offers ample scope
for organic farming by virtue of its resource endowment as well as
geographical limitations.
1
Senior Scientist, E-mail: [email protected]
2
Senior Scientist, E-mail: [email protected]
3
Principal Scientist, E-mail: [email protected]
4
Director, E-mail: [email protected]
376

Agro-climatic conditions
The climate of Andaman & Nicobar Islands is typified by tropical
conditions with little difference between mean summer and mean winter
temperatures. The annual rainfall varies from 2900 to 3100 mm representing
perhumid climate. As the Islands are situated close to the equator the
evaporation is very high due to intensive solar radiation especially during
dry months far exceeds the rainfall resulting in water deficit condition
(Fig. 1).
The rainfall covers the potential evapotranspiration demands,
except for seasonal water deficit of 300-400 mm during the post-monsoon
period (January to March). However, higher probability of real deficit is
realized only for a short period during February and March. The relative
humidity varies from 68 to 86% and the maximum and minimum
temperature is 32°C and 22°C, respectively. The length of growing period
is more than 210 days which is long enough to support double cropping
and plantation crops grown in the area. The area experiences Udic soil
moisture and Isohyperthermic soil temperature regime (Velayutham et al.,
1999).

Fig. 1: Climatic parameters of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Soils
The soils of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are dominantly
influenced by the climate and vegetation. It is medium to deep, red loamy
soils including marine alluvium derived soils along the coast. They qualify
for the Great Groups of Hapludalfs, Dystropepts, Eutropepts and
 377

Sulfaquents (along the coast). The soils have low to medium available
water holding capacity. The soils of Pahargaon, Dhanikhari and Garacharma
series typify the dominant soils observed in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
These are slight to strong acidic in nature and are moderate to low (40-
70%) in base saturation (Ganeshamurthy et al., 2002).
Land cover/use
The land cover is dominated by tropical rain forest in the
longitudinal hills and mangroves in the sea front while agriculture is
confined only to specific areas around habitations. Out of the total
geographical area of 8249 sq. km, agricultural activities occupy a mere
50,000 ha of which 10561 ha is under field crops and 29774 ha under
plantation crops. The major plantation crops are coconut, arecanut, oil
palm with or without intercultivation of pineapple, tapioca and pepper. In
the coastal and mountain valley rice is grown during monsoon season.
Due to Tsunami disaster which occurred on 26th December, 2004, extensive
damage was caused to agricultural land. About 4206 ha of agriculture land
is under permanent submergence which decreased the area available for
agriculture/horticulture.
Area and productivity of major crops
The total area under major plantation crops in Andaman & Nicobar
Islands is around 69% of total cultivated area of 55,598 ha which includes
area under intercrop as well. Coconut and arecanut grown mostly in the
side slopes of longitudinal hills alone accounts for 53% of cultivated area
followed by oil palm and rubber grown in the undulating terrain. The area
under different crops is given in Fig. 2. The pressure created on plantation
areas by increasing population and tourism sector for safer sites is
alarmingly rising in recent years. Simultaneously, there is no scope for
area increase either by converting forest land or areas under other crops.
Therefore, marginal and degraded lands can be reclaimed by appropriate
technology to explore its suitability for plantation crops in addition to
phased conversion of existing area into high density plantations.
Owing to several reasons, productivity of various crops is lower
than the national average. The area under coconut was 20,787 ha in 1979-
80 with a production of 67.3 million nuts. During the last two decades, the
area has increased to 21,689 ha (4.3%) with a production of 81.9 million
nuts resulting in the productivity of 3749 nuts/ha. Though there is an
increase of 20.2 million nuts, the productivity remains stagnant as the
increase in nuts mostly came from newly added area. Arecanut occupies
378

4,147 ha area which yield 5721 MT. The cashew nut production is reported
to be 362 MT from 800 ha of area and accurate estimation is not possible
as it is also grown in homestead gardens. The copious amount of rainfall
spread over a period of more than 6 months received in these Islands pose
a major constrain due to intensive leaching of soluble salts from soils
resulting in soil acidity. Most of the plantation crops are grown with minimal
management and less inputs in tropical acid soils resulting in lower
productivity.

Fruits Spices
7% 2%
Vegetable
8% Coconut
45%

Paddy
22%
Others Oil Palm Arecanut
1% 3% 8%
Rubber
Cashew
3%
1%
Paddy Vegetable Fruits Spices Coconut
Arecanut Oil Palm Rubber Cashew Others
* Area includes intercrop as well (Source: Statistical Handbook of A&N, 2011)

Fig. 2: Area under major crops in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The favourable climatic condition in Bay Islands also offers great

opportunity for cultivation of different types of vegetables including
legumes. The estimated area and production of vegetable crops in Andaman
& Nicobar Islands are about 5150 ha and 31300 tons, respectively
(Anonymous, 2011). Among the food grains, paddy is predominantly grown
in the coastal saline, acid sulphate and water logged areas. The majority of
the area is covered under traditional and photosensitive long duration
varieties (C-14-8) with low input use. This is similar in the case of pulses
wherein moisture stress, torrential rains, older varieties and low input use
limit the productivity. Therefore, the productivity of different crops can be
significantly increased in Andaman & Nicobar Islands by proper
management and input use.
 379

Scope of organic farming

The general topography of these Islands is undulating and the
landform varies from longitudinal hills to plains. The agro-climatic
conditions of these Islands are congenial for the growth of variety of
plantation, spices, fruits, vegetable and field crops. At present, nearly half
of the agricultural land is used for coconut plantation, 8% for arecanut and
15% for fruits, vegetables and root crops and 22% for paddy cultivation.
These Islands being rich in biodiversity are the veritable treasure house of
valuable medicinal, aromatic and dye herbs, trees and shrubs which can be
produced organically. There is good scope for the production of tropical
fruits like mangosteen, durian, dragon fruit, rambutan, grapefruit, pomelo
and longan which has high export potential. Besides, poultry, pig and cattle
can be integrated with the crop components which provide scope for
efficient resource recycling and stability to farm income.
The soils of these Islands are generally acidic in nature, medium
to high in organic carbon content (0.7 to 1.8%) and available nitrogen
(180 to 250 kg/ha). The N use intensity is low (8.0 kg/ha) due to selective
use of N fertilizers in Andaman and socio-economic reasons in Nicobar
Islands. In addition to low chemical fertilizer use the prevailing hot and
humid climatic conditions favours rapid decomposition of organic residues
of annual crops which releases nutrients into the soil. The Islands is free
from several pest and diseases especially in plantation crops which are
prevalent in mainland India. As a result the level of pesticides use and its
residues in plant and soil is low in Andaman Island as compared to the
main land. Nearly 75 to 80% of the total pesticide consumption in the
Andaman Islands is used for vegetable crops alone. The average pesticide
residue in 250 vegetable samples was only 0.108 ppm, with values ranging
from 0.008 to 2.099 ppm pesticide and the residue level was less than the
reported levels elsewhere. Moreover, the pesticide residues in detectable
amount were found in soils of rice-vegetables system in selective areas
and no residues were found in plantation areas (Murugan et al., 2013)
(Fig. 3). These conditions favour conversion of existing production system
especially plantations into organic.
It is estimated that there is around 76,000 ha of certified organic
food production at the farm level and 2.4 million ha of certified forest area
for collection of wild herbs in India (Bhattacharya and Chakraborty, 2005),
but the actual area under organics is much more. The area under organic
farming in Andaman & Nicobar Islands is low or not accounted though
there is ample scope for it practice. In Nicobar Islands only organic inputs
380

in low quantities are used and can be classified as ‘organic by default’

though their significance and extent has been rather under estimated. In
India, three priority zones (category-I, II and III) are recognized for the
promotion of organic farming by Government of India. Andaman & Nicobar
Islands comes under category – I the top priority areas for promotion of
organic farming in the rainfed region for potential crops where fertiliser
and agro-chemical consumption is already very low.
It was also seen that despite repeated efforts to improve the yield
of crops the productivity of most of the crops in the Islands is low mainly
due to inadequate awareness of production technology, inefficient organic
waste recycling and inadequate supply of essential nutrients. Thus by
providing organic production technologies for nutrient, plant protection,
post harvest operations and other cultural practices the productivity can be
increased. The entire Nicobar group of Islands offers scope for organic
cultivation of coconut and other plantation crops whereas Andaman is
highly suitable for organic spice production. The expanding tourism sector
of this Island has huge potential to support organic products while its
proximity to the South East Asian countries can be an advantage to export
of organic products. If the potential of production system and market
demand is properly linked with adequate policy support the organic farming
have greater potential to grow in this Island.
 381

Experimental evidences
Performance of okra under organic manures, inorganic fertilizers and
their combinations:
The effect of application of organic manures, inorganic fertilizers
and their combinations on okra was studied. The results showed that the
yield performance and B:C ratio was in the order of inorganic followed by
inorganic (100% Recommended Dose of Fertilizer, RDF) + vermicompost,
vermicompost +poultry manure and vermicompost alone (equivalent to
100% RDF). Low B:C ratio of vermicompost is due to the cost of compost
production and the B:C ratio can be increased by efficient composting
technique. The net productivity and return analysis revealed that at moderate
input supply, inorganic (100% RDF) + vermicompost (equivalent to 75%
RDF) were found to be better than other treatments (Fig. 4). Vermicompost
+poultry manure (equivalent to 75% RDF) were on par with inorganic
(100% RDF) + vermicompost (equivalent to 50% RDF) and found to be
best combination if only organic sources are to be used as in the case of
organic farming (Velmurugan et al., 2012). Using vermicompost purchased
commercially may not be an appropriate choice however; if produced at
the farm level using appropriate techniques the cost of production can be
further reduced which will make the organic cultivation more viable.

Fig. 4: Economic performance of okra cultivation using different inputs and their
combinations.
382

Effect of different organic materials to soil properties:

As the soils of plantation growing areas are mostly acidic, an
experiment was conducted to study the effect of application of different
organic materials to acid soil. The results indicated that soil pH was
significantly increased in addition to the release of plant available nutrients.
The relative liming efficiency i.e. the capacity of the organic amendments
to increase the soil pH in comparison to lime, was highest for poultry
manure (Fig. 5). It was due to the release of base cations especially Ca and
Mg which resulted in acid neutralization during microbial decarboxylation
(Tang and Yu, 1999). Coconut husk used alone showed the least liming
effect among the treatments because of its initial low pH and poor base
content. Coconut husk + poultry manure combination was found to be
significantly better than coconut husk used alone. The liming effect has
persisted for a period of 180 days in all the treatments (Swarnam and
Velmurugan, 2014). This result showed the potential of locally available
organic materials as amendments for acid soil which could be an alternative
to lime in low input agricultural system.

90

75

60
RLE (%)

45

30

15

0
15 60 120 150 180
Days after Incubation
Coconut husk Vermicompost Poultry manure C.H+V.C C.H.+P.M

Fig. 5: Relative liming efficiency of different organic amendments on acid soil.

Technologies for organic farming in the Islands

The key characteristics of organic farming technology suitable for the
Islands conditions should include the followings;
 Protect the long term fertility of soils by maintaining organic matter
levels, encouraging soil biological activity, and careful mechanical
intervention;
 383

 Nitrogen self-sufficiency through the use of legumes and biological

nitrogen fixation, as well as effective recycling of organic materials;
 Provide crop nutrients from relatively insoluble nutrient sources
by the magnified action of native soil micro-organisms;
 Weed, disease and pest control primarily rely on crop rotations,
natural predators, diversity, organic manuring, resistant varieties;
 Pay full regard to livestock evolutionary adaptations, behavioural
needs and animal welfare issues
Organic production
In organic farming system, certain minimum requirements are to
be met to fulfill its objectives. Then only the farm is certified as organic.
The organic production suitable for the Islands conditions involves two
steps, conversion and integration.
i) Conversion: At first, the farm has to be converted into organic farming
system from conventional system which is known as conversion. The
farmers should have a conversion plan prepared if the entire field is not
converted into organic at a time. In the long run the entire form including
livestock should be converted into organic. Generally, the conversion period
is two years for annual crops and three years for perennial crops. However,
the conversion period can be relaxed based on the verification by
certification agency, if the requirements are fully met. During conversion,
steps should be taken to maintain bio-diversity, viz., swamps, grass lands,
forests, etc.
ii) Integration: Animal husbandry, poultry, fisheries, etc. should be suitably
integrated or practised in addition to crop husbandry for better resource
use and recycling in organic farming. 8-10 layers, 3-4 pigs or 2 dairy animals
can also be maintained in the organic integrated farming in one ha of land.
Crop planning:
Crop planning considers what, when, where and which plants to
grow in relation to their requirements for space, sunshine, water, maturation,
season of planting and tolerance for each other. Crop rotation with pulses
or leguminous vegetables should be followed if annual crops such as rice
or maize are grown. Crop rotation should cover green manure as well as
fodder crops as well. Intercropping of plantation crops such as coconut
and arecanut with spices should be practised in addition to some cover
crops to protect the soil.
384

Under organic farming system diversified vegetable production

will enhance income stability through availability of vegetables throughout
the year and farm income. It should contain at least one each of the following
crop categories: leafy, legume, tuberous and fruit bearing vegetables. A
model crop planning for different season with its spatial allocation is given
in Table 1. This practice is also one way of checking pest outbreaks and
certain intercrops serve the additional purpose of being insect repellents.
Different plants have varying rooting depths and so extract nutrients and
moisture from different points of the soil profile which does not overburden
the soil. Plants are correctly spaced when the leaves of the fully grown
plants barely overlap with the adjacent ones. This achieves maximum use
of space and higher yields per unit area in comparison with conventional
method.
Table 1: Cropping pattern and rotation.
Field Planting season
Subdivision First Second Third Fourth
1 Leaf Fruit Root Legume
2 Fruit Leaf Legume Root
3 Root Legume Leaf Fruit
4 Legume Root Fruit Leaf

Planting:
The cultivated species and varieties should be adapted to soil and
climatic condition and resistant to pests and diseases (Table 2). Seeds/
planting materials should be procured from organic source if not available,
chemically untreated seeds/planting materials can be used. Use of
genetically engineered seeds or planting materials and transgenic plants is
not allowed. In case of saline soils, saline resistant paddy varieties (CSR-
36, CSR-23 and CARI Dhan-5) may be grown. Planting materials can be
produced inside the poly and net houses by establishing model nurseries
without the use of plant protection chemicals.
Multiple cropping:
This includes multistoried cropping and intercropping to effectively
utilize the vertical and horizontal unutilized spaces for crop production.
Organic farming techniques have ample scope for the practice of multiple
cropping in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
 385

Table 2: Drought-resistant crops suitable for Islands condition.

S.No. Scientific Name Common Name Degree of Resistance
1 Abelmoschus esculentus okra fairly drought-resistant
2 Solanun melongena eggplant drought-tolerant
3 Manihot esculenta cassava drought-tolerant once
established
4 Dolichos lablab lablab bean drought-tolerant once
established
5 lpomoea batatas sweet potato fairly drought-tolerant
6 Amaranthus gracilis amaranth fairly drought-tolerant
7 Phaseolus aureus moong bean fairly drought-tolerant
8 Arachis hypogaea peanut highly drought-resistant
9 Cajanus cajan pigeon pea highly drought and heat
resistant
10 Sorghum bicolor sorghum highly drought-resistant
11 Vigna sinensis cowpea drought- and heat-tolerant

Multistoried cropping refers to the cultivation of three or more

crops having different morphological characteristics so as to intercept solar
radiation at different levels and exploit different soil zones. The suitable
multistoried cropping system is given in Table 4. The given fertilizer
requirement can be met through organic means through effective recycling
of the plantation and other plant and animal wastes within the garden.
Mixed/inter cropping in arecanut plantation has ample scope.
Approximately 60% of the light is intercepted by an adult arecanut palm.
By growing intercrop, the level of light interception could be increased to
about 95%. Intercropping also leads to increased availability of organic
matter for recycling. Crop combination, cultural and manurial requirements
are given in the Table 3.
In addition, the interspaces of plantation crops can be effectively
used for growing vegetables and legumes to augment the production. It
favours biomass production which can be mixed with animal waste for
efficient recycling and supply of nutrients to plantation crops (Gangwar,
1987).
386

Table 3: Crop combination, cultural and manurial requirements.

Crops Propagation Spacing Plants/ha Fertilizer dose (N:P 2O5:K2O
g/tree/year)
Coconut Seedlings 7.5m x 7.5m 175 500 : 320 : 1200+10 kg FYM
Cashewnut+ Rooted 7.5m x 7.5m 175 100 : 40 :140+10 kg FYM
Black pepper cuttings (At palm base)
Cashewnut + Seedlings/ 7.5m x 7.5m 75 300 : 250 : 750+10 kg FYM
Clove grafts (Centre of
four palms)
Cashewnut+ Graft (Centre of 150 500 : 250 :1000 +10 kg FYM
Nutmeg four palms)
Cashewnut+ Seedlings/ 3.0-3.0m 750 200 : 180 : 200 +10 kg FYM
Cinnamon layers
Arecanut Seedlings 2.7-2.7m 1300 100 : 40 : 140+ 10 kg FYM
Arecanut+ Rooted 2.7-2.7m 1300 100 : 40 : 140+ 10 kg FYM
Pepper cuttings

Seed / seedling treatments:

Selected seeds can be treated with 3-4 ml of Panchakavya and 3-4
g of Pseudomonas/kg of seeds, kept for 24 hours and used for sowing.
Manuring:
Soil fertility should be maintained / enhanced through raising green
manure crops, leguminous crops and incorporation of plant residues after
harvest in addition to the application of compost, vermicompost, FYM to
supply readily available plant nutrients. Vermicompost can be prepared in
the farm itself which facilitate organic waste recycling. In addition, it can
be enriched with micronutrient (10 kg/ha) and rock phosphate which make
the compost balanced and suitable for most of the crops and soil. The mineral
based materials like rock phosphate and lime can be applied to plantation
crops and acid soils in limited quantities when there is absolute necessity.
Apart from this need based application of biofertilizers (Azospirillum,
Rhizobium), plant preparation and extracts (such as neem cake), animal
meal (blood meal, bone meal, fish meal) without preservatives and trace
elements to meet the micronutrient requirements.
In order to increase the physical condition and nutrients supply to
paddy, green manure crops should be grown (Sesbania 2 kg, Tephrosia 2
kg/ha alone or in mixture) for 45 days and ploughed in 10 days prior to the
transplanting of seedlings. During the cultivation of banana the first weeding
 387

operation could be followed by the raising of green manure crops and in-
situ mulching which suppress the weed growth as well.
Pest, disease and weed management:
Use of synthetic/chemical pesticides, fungicides and weedicides
is prohibited in organic farming. Natural enemies should be encouraged
and protected. (eg. raising trees in the farm attracts birds which kills pests
of the crops, nest construction etc.). Products collected from the local farm,
animals, plants and micro-organisms and prepared at the farm are allowed
for control of pests and diseases. (eg. neem seed kernel extract, cow urine
spray). In addition mechanical traps, light traps (water + 200 ml of
kerosene), plant product based traps and repellents can be used to collect
and destroy the insect pests. The use of synthetic growth regulators,
genetically engineered organisms and products for controlling pests and
diseases should be avoided. Weeds under the base of the plants shall be
cleaned and put as mulch around the plant base.
In case of banana and vegetables before planting, biocontrol agents
such as Pseudomonas florescence, Paecilomyces and Trichoderma viridi
are mixed with well decomposed FYM @ 2 kg / acre and are put inside the
planting pits. Then a solution containing 1 litre water and 3 ml Panchakavya
is also poured in the pits. The fungal agents can be mixed with cowdung
solution and are applied on 3rd, 5th & 7th months during irrigation. Certain
biocontrol agents of plant pests suitable for Islands conditions are given in
Table 4.
Table 4: Pests of important crops and their bio-control agents and IPM products.
S.No Crops Pest Biocontrol agents
1 Coconut Rhinoceros beetle Baculovirus, Metarhizium fungi
2 Paddy Stem borer Bacillus thuringiensis Trichogramma
(egg parasitoid), Traps
3 Vegetables Cowpea Fruit and shoot Bacillus thuringiensis, Chrysopa traps
& field bean borerAphids
4 Tomato Fruit borer Trichogramma (egg parasitoid), B.T.,
NPV, traps
5 Vegetables and Fungal pathogen Trichoderma viride, Trichoderma
spices harzianum traps
6 Cauliflower Diamond Back Traps of BT, NPV
Moth, Heliothis
7 Brinjal, Okra Fruit borers Traps, BT, NPV, Trichogramma
388

Soil and water conservation:

Measures like contour cultivation, stone pitching/contour wall
construction are to be taken up to prevent soil erosion in upland or hilly
areas. Basin should be formed around the palm and arecanut trees. Coir
waste, farm waste, dried leaves, dried grasses, sugarcane trash, paddy straw
and groundnut husk can be employed for mulching.
Growth promotion:
 A starter solution can be prepared by mixing of 20 kg of cow dung,
20 litres of cow urine, 3-4 kg of Jaggery in 200 litres of water. After
24 hours, the solution is applied to crops by mixing it with irrigation
water in the ratio of 1:10. This solution could convert the infertile soil
into a productive one. The solution is applied 2-3 times for 3-4 months
old crop and for long duration crops; it is to be applied twice in a
month. Along with this solution, water may also be mixed and is
sprayed over the crops.
 Panchakavya (prepared from cow dung, urine, curd, ghee, jaggery,
tender coconut water, ripened banana and yeast or toddy) can be
prepared locally at farm and used for growth promotion and
prophylactic purposes. It should be sprayed twice before and after
flowering for short duration crops and the solution can also be used
for seeds and seedling treatment.
Contamination control:
It is necessary to minimise the contamination from outside and
within farm. If neighboring fields are non-organic, a buffer zone should be
maintained. The height of buffer crop shall be twice the height of organic
crop and the width of the buffer shall be 25-50 feet. (When chilli is grown
as the main organic crop, castor or Sesbania can be grown as buffer crop).
The crops from the buffer zone should be sold as non-organic. If the farm
is under conversion, equipments used for conventional areas shall be well
cleaned before using for organic areas. In addition, products based on
polythene, polypropylene and other polycarbonates are allowed to cover
protected structure, insect netting, nursery, drying, etc.
Processing:
The harvested products of coconut, arecanut and spices can be
processed using technologies like solar drying, freeze drying, hot air
chambers which add value to the products. Irradiation of agricultural
 389

produce is not permitted. No synthetic additives/dyes are to be added during

processing.
Packaging:
For packing, reusable materials like clean jute bags and other bio-
degradable materials should be used. Unnecessary packaging material
should be avoided. Organic and non-organic products shall not be stored
and transported together except when labeled.
Technological gap
Yields on organic farms are generally lower than those on
conventional or integrated farms while yields from farmers field practicing
organic farming is lower than the experimental stations. The magnitude of
these yield differences varies considerably in the literatures.
A recent meta-study modelled significantly smaller differences
between organic and conventional yields from intensive farming in
developed countries. Based on 160 field experiments, the average yields
of all crops grown organically were only 9% lower than those grown
conventionally (Badgley et al., 2007 and Ramesh et al., 2010). As most of
the data came from trials conducted on research stations, the actual
productivity gap may have been underestimated in this meta-study (Pretty
et al., 2003 and Edwards, 2007). A compilation of data from different
experiments conducted in these Islands is summarized in Table 5 which
indicates that the productivity in organic farming is 10-40% lower than
the conventional farming and 5-15 % lowers than the organic farming under
experimental conditions. On marginal soils, in less favourable climatic
conditions and under permanent or temporary water stress conditions of
these Islands, generally, subsistence or low input agriculture is practised
wherein organic agriculture can at the best enhance food productivity while
it improves the soil condition.
The yield and area of various crops grown in these Islands which
has high market potential are given in Table 6. As discussed earlier, the
yield of these crops are low compared to the national and international
average which ranges from 40 – 10%. The results of effects of organic
input use suggested that the yield can be increased ranging from 10-30%
by practicing best organic management practices suitable for different crops
and soil conditions. More significantly spices can be grown in the
interspaces of coconut garden in 1500 ha of area. By following suitable
organic management practices, 6318 tonnes of spices can be produced
indicating 149% increase over the existing production. Similarly, coconut
390

Table 5: Yield gaps between organic and conventional system under Islands conditions.
Crops Yield in organic management Average yield Yield in organic
(t/ha) in conventional as % of
system conventional
Experimental Farmers field system
conditions as % of
experimental
condition
Okra 8.6 (1.6) 70 - 81 10.5 (1.4) 60 - 65
Tomato 8.2 (1.3) 75-80 9.1 (0.9) 73-76
Brinjal 5.2 (1.4) 61 - 66 6.5 (0.8) 49 - 56
Bitter gourd 2.5 (0.4) 75 - 81 2.9 (0.7) 72 - 76
Coconut * 70 (15) 80-90 90 (12) 70 - 75
Arecanut 2.6 (0.3) 98-93 2.9 (0.4) 80 - 83
Pepper 1.3 (0.2) 80 - 84 1.5 (0.2) 75 - 77
#
Cinnamon 150 (18) 92-96 160 (14) 85-90
Ginger 18 (1.8) 80 - 84 23 (1.2) 74 - 76
Rice 2.8 (0.9) 82 - 85 3.4 (0.4) 68 - 72
Maize 4.0 (0.7) 77 - 80 6.5 (1.2) 47 - 49
Pulse 0.7 (0.3) 78 - 81 0.9 (0.2) 60 - 65
#
* nuts / tree ; g/tree : values in parentheses are standard deviations

organic coconut production can go up 32%, fruits by 21% and cashewnut

by 17%. The production of pulses, root crops and vegetables can also be
increased by organic management practices and most of its potential can
be realized by linking it with the local market and tourism sector.
In many situations, the adaptation of state-of-the-art organic farming
offers considerable potential for yield increase and yield stability.
Simultaneously, it is argued that there was a reduction in the average cost
of cultivation in organic farming by 11.7% compared to conventional
farming. However, due to the availability of premium price (20–40%) for
organic produce in most cases, the average net profit was 22.0% higher in
organic compared to the conventional farming (Ramesh et al., 2010)
The available data shows a huge variability in yields from organic
farms. This fact alone is an excellent basis for scientific progress. The
organic approach for these Islands involves optimizing the yields of different
cross linked farm activities rather than optimizing the output of single crop
and livestock production units. These aspects of overall productivity have
to be taken into consideration both in organic and in other sustainable
Table 6: Potential for organic cultivation of different crops in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Crops Area(ha) Production Yield(ha) Organic farming method Potential Potential Increase
(tonnes) yield production over (%)
Paddy* 7900 20540.0 2.6 Compost & manures, organic plant protection, in 2.8 22120 7.7
high yielding salinity tolerant varieties selected
areas
Pulses 2119 1153.6 0.5 Phosphorous enriched compost, high yielding 0.7 1484 28.6
varieties, organic plant protection measures in
North and Middle Andaman
Spices* 1659existing 2535.2 1.5 Rock phosphate & Micronutrient enriched 2.0 3318 149.1
vermicompost, high yield cuttings / planting
materials, Organic plant protection, Soil &
water conservation
1500 - - Intercropping & density planting of spices in 2.0 3000
additional coconut garden and reclaimed areas
Coconut* 21689 81.9 0.0 Phased conversion to high yield varieties, Organic 0.0 108 32.4
(M/nuts) waste recycling, compost enrichment with
P and micronutrients, through vermicomposting,
organic plant protection
Cashewnut* 1051 360.8 0.3 Improved root stocks, enriched compost, organic 0.4 420 16.5
plant protection, soil conservation in Andaman
Islands
Fruits* 3005 24941.5 8.3 Improved root stocks, enriched compost, organic 10.0 30050 20.5
plant protection, soil & water conservation
391
 392

Table Contd.

Vegetables 4598 30199.7 6.6 Improved varieties, enriched compost, crop 7.5 34490 14.2
rotation, organic plant protection, water
management in Middle & North Andaman
Root crops 1005 8236.3 8.2 Improved varieties, enriched compost, organic 10.0 10059 22.1
plant protection, soil &water conservation of
existing areas

* High value crops with export potential

 393

systems. However, organic techniques are still poorly developed for some
areas of crop and livestock production suitable for these Islands.
Strategies for future development
The strategies to promote organic farming in the Islands should
essentially encompass organic farming technologies, adequate
infrastructure, appropriate policy framework and capacity building of the
stake holders. The approach should be in a phased manner. Some of the
strategies are as:
 Phased conversion of conventional farm into organic farming after
proper assessment of the status of present farming system along with
the assessment of total agricultural assets and consumption of
agricultural inputs in each farm holdings focusing on potential crops
and areas.
 Compact area group approach should be employed by encouraging
the formation of organic farmers groups, clubs, SHG’s and
cooperatives for the purpose of cultivation, input production, seed /
seedlings / planting materials production, certification and marketing.
 Implementation of a simple certification process for all the organic
farmers and promotion of specific brand name for the Islands.
 The seed sovereignty of the farmers must be ensured by establishing
seed villages, seed banks and seed cooperatives to produce, store,
share and supply good quality seeds.
 Ensure availability of quality and enriched organic manure to the
farmers by technology transfer and capacity building. The policy
should also encourage private entrepreneurs to produce and sale quality
manures. Concurrently ensure phased restriction / ban on the sale and
use of chemical inputs in agriculture such as fertilizers, pesticides,
fungicides and weedicides parallel to the implementation of the organic
farming policy in the region.
 Make crop-livestock integrated farming as part of organic farming,
with women centered ownership and management in the farmer
households and groups.
 Improve soil quality; ensure water conservation measures and
establishment of testing facilities by organization net working in the
Islands.
394

 Document agro-biodiversity and related traditional knowledge and

practice, both cultivated and un-cultivated in each Islands.
 Create organic production and marketing network by establishing
separate and decentralized storage facilities and markets for organic
farm produce to ensure its organic integrity. Similarly, separate local
transportation facilities for organic produce to nearby markets have
to be provided.
 Promotion of farm level processing, value addition and encouragement
of the use of organic farm produce in food industry.
 Other promotional services like financial assistance and specific crop
and livestock insurance for organic farmers is expected to instill
confidence among the farmers.
 Reorientation of research, education and extension is essential to
support the organic farming in the Islands. Task force should be formed
involving scientist, developmental agency and policy makers to
develop seed to seed package and market network to promote organic
cultivation.
These strategies are aimed to promote innovations and technologies
in organic farming system which will play an important role in pushing
agriculture and food production generally towards sustainability, quality
and low risk technologies for the Islands. Additionally, the soil can act as
a major sink for atmospheric CO 2 (Lal, 2004), thereby supports the
mitigation efforts of global warming. Therefore, it is worthy to invest in
organic agriculture in order to improve and further develop the system, the
entire organic marketing and consumption chain.
Conclusion
The area available for cultivation in the Islands is limited and no
scope for its expansion as a result judicious use of existing land and
remediation of degraded coastal land through organic farming practices
are viable alternate strategy for its development. The most favourable
aspects of the Islands agriculture are the minimal level of chemical inputs
used in majority of the areas and in plantation crops. These Islands are
rich in biodiversity and the agro-climatic conditions are very much
congenial for the organic cultivation of crops which are in high demand in
international markets.
There is a huge potential for organic farming especially cultivation
of spices, coconut, tropical fruits, high value vegetables and to some extent
 395

fine quality rice varieties in a integrated farming system mode which provide
more stability and income to the farmer. However, organic cultivation of
these crops will largely depend on the capacity of the production system to
meet the crop input demand. In this context, vermicompost combined with
poultry manure is a potential source to supply plant nutrients. Also there
are different organic materials locally available, if suitably mixed,
composted and used can act as an amendment to acid soils in addition to
supply of essential nutrients to crop plants. Therefore, it is economically
and ecologically feasible to practice organic farming in the Islands with
the reduced cost of cultivation by not depending upon the purchased off-
farm inputs. At the same time farmers should be given access to attractive
markets through value added and certified products which will enable the
farmers to get premium price for their produce.
As organic farming is a dynamic practice, research should
continuously focus on emerging issues of organic cultivation, restoration
of degraded or abandoned land and bring in improvement in package of
practices for important crops suitable for Islands conditions. The
mainstream extension organizations and other agencies could facilitate the
farmer groups, federations and also provide an inter phase with modern
organic inputs and methods being developed in the scientific and academic
institutions. Farmer to farmer exchange is one of the best mechanisms to
share farmer’s knowledge and innovations in organic agriculture which
should be facilitated. In the Islands agro-climatic conditions organic farming
of potential crop combinations is as remunerative as conventional farming
in an integrated farming system mode and given the same profitability,
organic farming is more advantageous considering its contribution to farm
income, environment, health and sustainability.
References
Anonymous. 2011. Statistical Handbook, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Andaman
and Nicobar Administration, Port Blair, India.
Badgley C, Moghtader J, Quintero E, Zakem E, Jahi Chappell M, Avilés-Vázquez K,
Samulon A and Perfecto I. 2007. Organic agriculture and the global food supply.
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 22(2): 86-108.
Bhattacharyya P and Chakraborty G. 2005. Current Status of Organic Farming in India
and other countries. Indian Journal of Fertilizers 1(9): 111-123.
Edwards S. 2007. The impact of compost use on crop yields in Tigray, Ethiopia. Proceedings
of the International Conference on Organic Agriculture and Food Security. FAO,
Rome. ftp://ftp.fao.org/paia/organicag/ofs/02-Edwards.pdf.
396

Ganeshamurthy A N, Dinesh R, Ravisankar N, Anil Nair and Ahlawat S P S. 2002. Land

resources of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Central Agricultural Research Institute,
Port Blair, India, pp 134.
Gangwar B. 1987. Studies on cropping systems for Andaman Islands. Journal of Andaman
Science Association 3(1): 14-18.
Lal R. 2004. Soil carbon sequestration in India. Climatic Change 65:277–296.
Murugan A V, Swarnam T P and Gnanasambandan S. 2013. Status and effect of pesticide
residues in soils under different land uses of Andaman Islands, India. Environmental
Monitoring and Assessment 185: 8135–8145.
Pretty J, Morison J I L and Hine R E. 2003. Reducing food poverty by increasing agricultural
sustainability in developing countries. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment
95: 217-234.
Ramesh P, Panwar N R, Singh A B, Ramana S, Sushil Kumar Yadav, Rahul Shrivastava
and Subba Rao A. 2010. Status of organic farming in India, Current science 98(9):
1190-1194.
Swarnam T P and Velmurugan A. 2014. Evaluation of coconut wastes as an amendment to
acidic soils in low-input agricultural system. Communications in Soil Science and
Plant Analysis 45:1–12.
Tang C and Yu Q. 1999. Impact of chemical composition of legume residues and initial
soil pH on pH change of a soil after residue incorporation. Plant and Soil 215: 29-
38.
Velayutham M, Mandal D K, Mandal C and Sehgal J. 1999. Agro-Ecological Sub-regions
of India for Planning and Development. NBSS&LUP, pp 372.
Velmurugan, A., Swarnam, T.P. and Ravisankar, N. 2012. Effect of Vermicompost on
Nutrient Dynamics and Yield of Vegetable Crop, CARI Annual Report 2011-12,
pp 11-12.