Realizing the growing potential of organic farming in the country, DAC launched a National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF) with an outlay of Rs. 57.05 crore as a pilot project during 2004-05 and the project has been continued in 11th Plan with an allocation of Rs. 101.00 crores.

NPOF is being implemented through the National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF) at Ghaziabad and its six Regional Centers of Organic Farming (RCOFs) at Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Hisar, Jabalpur, Imphal and Nagpur. The mandate of the scheme is as follows:

• Human Resource Development by providing training State Government Officers, Fertilizer Inspectors, Organic Fertilizers Analysts, Organize Certificate Course and Field Functionaries / Extension Officers Training on Organic Farming
• Statutory Quality Analysis of Biofertilizers and Organic fertilizers under Fertilizer Control Order (FCO) and Testing of other organic inputs for study purpose
• Capacity Building for low cost alternative, farmers group centric certification system-PGS
• Support for organic input production units under Capital Investment Back Ended Subsidy Scheme through NABARD.
• Awareness creation through publicity, publications and other print and electronic media

The Central Fertilizer Quality Control & Training Institute (CFQC & TI) and its RFCLs, which were set up during 4th Plan and 7th plan respectively are continuing since then as Plan Scheme, with techno-statutory functions as a part of National Project on Management of Soil Health and Fertility. The Institute besides ensuring the inspection and analysis of imported fertilizers (all quantity) and Indigenous fertilizers (on random basis), also impart training to all State Fertilizer Inspectors, Notified Authorities and Fertilizer Analysts as statutory function and also an exclusive training organization on Fertilizer Quality Control for foreign participants of developing counties.

• Strengthening / up-grading existing state fertilizer quality control laboratories.
• Setting up of new fertilizer quality control laboratories by state governments.
• Setting up of fertilizer testing laboratories for advisory purposes, under the private / cooperative sector.

• Promotion of organic manuring.
• Promotion of soil amendments (basic slag) in acidic soils.
• Promotion and distribution of micro-nutrients.

Components

• Setting up new soil testing laboratories and Mobile Soil Testing Laboratories (MSTLs).
• Strengthening of existing static STLs for micronutrient analysis.
• Capacity building through training STL staff/extension officers/farmers and field demonstration/workshop etc.
• Creation of data bank for balanced use of fertilizers, which is site specific.
• Adoption of village by STLs (10 villages each) through frontline field demonstrations.
• Preparation of digital district soil matter (using global positioning system) a soil fertility monitoring system by ICAR state agriculture universities (SAUs.)

“National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) will be implemented during 12th Plan with the objectives to make agriculture more productive, sustainable and climate resilient; to conserve natural resources; to adopt comprehensive soil health management practices; to optimize utilization of water resources; etc.
“Soil Health Management (SHM) is one of the most important interventions under NMSA.SHM aims at promoting Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) through judicious use of chemical fertilizers including secondary and micro nutrients in conjunction with organic manures and bio-fertilizers for improving soil health and its productivity; strengthening of soil and fertilizer testing facilities to provide soil test based recommendations to farmers for improving soil fertility; ensuring quality control requirements of fertilizers, bio-fertilizers and organic fertilizers under fertilizer Control Order, 1985; upgradation of skill and knowledge of soil testing laboratory staff, extension staff and farmers through training and demonstrations; promoting organic farming practices etc.