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MIZORAM, INDIA, March 19, 2004: The small state of Mizoram will soon become the first state in India to officially declare its status as organic. Led by Governor A.R. Kohli, the government is drafting a new law that will ban the sale of chemical fertilizers in the state. The governor does not expect any opposition to the new bill as most farmers already have refrained from using chemical fertilizer because of the high price. Kohli says, “It is time to encash the fact that much of the produce is free of poison. And these fetch as much as 30 per cent to 50 per cent more in the international market. The government would simultaneously encourage bio-fertilisers like vermicomposting and organic manure from leaves. After one year, we plan to call an international agency to certify Mizoram as an organic state.” After profit has been generated from the organic produce industry, the state would like to do away with huge transport subsidies. The article also points out that a $500 million project along the Kaladan river that runs through Mizoram and Myanmar before entering Bay of Bengal will be a major milestone in the development of the state.

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