Sikkim Organic Mission
The programme that made Sikkim the world's first fully organic state — group organic certification, market access and a price premium, without a fertiliser bill.
Run by: Food Security & Agriculture Development Department, Government of Sikkim
- Status
- World's first fully organic state (Jan 2016)
- Scale
- ~75,000 ha, 66,000+ farming families
- Certification
- Group, via SSOCA, under NPOP
- Recognition
- FAO Future Policy Gold Award 2018
Overview
Sikkim did not subsidise organic inputs — it removed the chemical alternative. The state adopted a policy on organic farming in 2003, launched the Sikkim Organic Mission in 2010 with a roadmap to convert its farmland, and by 2016 roughly 75,000 hectares were under certified organic management across more than 66,000 farming families. Prime Minister Modi declared Sikkim India's first fully organic state at Gangtok on 18 January 2016. For a farmer this is less a scheme to apply to than a system to farm within.
The tangible benefit is certification the farmer could never afford alone. The Sikkim State Organic Certification Agency (SSOCA) certifies farms as a group under the national organic standard (NPOP), which is what lets Sikkim produce be sold and exported as certified organic and command a premium. The Mission was built with an Internal Control System, farmer field schools and extension support rather than leaving each farmer to arrange it.
The trade-off is honest. Yields of some crops fell when synthetic fertiliser was withdrawn, and the return comes from the premium and the input saving, not from more tonnes. Sikkim also still brings in a large share of its vegetables from neighbouring states, so "fully organic" describes the state's own production, not everything sold in its markets. Keeping a group's records audit-ready year after year, and getting the premium to actually reach the farmer rather than the trader, remain the hard parts.
In 2018 the policy won the Future Policy Gold Award from the World Future Council, FAO and IFOAM — often called the "Oscar for best policies" — the first time it went to an initiative in this field.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- Group organic certification through SSOCA under NPOP — the cost a single small farmer could never carry alone.
- The right to sell and export produce as certified Sikkim Organic, which commands a price premium.
- No fertiliser or pesticide bill — the input saving is a real part of the return.
- Farmer field schools, an Internal Control System and extension support built into the Mission.
Who is eligible
State schemes usually state their criteria as prose rather than a checklist. This is that prose, unpacked — the department’s verification is what decides.
You qualify if
- Farmer cultivating land in Sikkim
- Farming under organic management — no synthetic fertiliser or pesticide
- Enrolled in the local farmer group for group certification
- Keeping the farm and input records the NPOP standard requires
Not covered
- Use of synthetic fertiliser or chemical pesticide, which is barred statewide
- Farms not enrolled in a certification group
- Produce brought in from outside the state — it is not covered by Sikkim Organic certification
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- Land record
- Membership of the local organic farmer group
- Farm and crop records for the certification audit
- Bank passbook
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Join your local farmer group
Certification is granted to a group, not an individual. Enrolling in the village organic group is how a small farm gets certified affordably.
- 2
Farm to the organic standard and keep records
Keep to organic management and maintain the input and field records the NPOP standard and the group's Internal Control System require. SSOCA audits against these.
- 3
Certification and market access
Once the group is certified by SSOCA, produce can be sold and exported as certified Sikkim Organic at a premium, including through the state's organic outlets and marketing channels.
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- For a certification dispute, a group being dropped in an audit, or extension support not reaching you, take it up with the Block / District office of the Food Security & Agriculture Development Department and with SSOCA directly.
- Sikkim does not run a single state-wide public-grievance portal like some states. The Rural Development Department runs an online grievance system at grievancerdd.sikkim.gov.in for rural-development matters, and CPGRAMS (pgportal.gov.in) is the country-wide fallback that also covers Sikkim.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use chemical fertiliser if my yield drops?
No. Synthetic fertilisers and pesticides are withdrawn across the state. The whole model rests on Sikkim being fully organic, so there is no chemical option to fall back on.
Who pays for the certification?
It is done as group certification through the state agency SSOCA, which is what makes it affordable — an individual small farmer could not fund it alone.
What is the actual gain for me?
The price premium on certified organic produce plus the saving on fertiliser and pesticide. It is not a cash transfer, and some crops yield less, so the return comes from price and cost, not tonnage.
If Sikkim is fully organic, why are non-organic vegetables sold here?
The "fully organic" status covers what Sikkim itself grows. The state still imports a large share of its vegetables from neighbouring states, and that produce is not Sikkim Organic certified.
When did Sikkim become fully organic?
It was declared India's first fully organic state in January 2016, after a transition that began with the state organic-farming policy in 2003 and the Sikkim Organic Mission in 2010.
What is the FAO award the Mission is known for?
In 2018 Sikkim's organic-farming policy won the Future Policy Gold Award from the World Future Council, FAO and IFOAM — the first time that award went to an initiative in this field.
Facts checked against sikkim.gov.in on 20 October 2026. editorial policy.