Guwahati: There is a huge market waiting for organic commodities in US markets.

This was said by Rajesh N. Naik, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of India, San Francisco, California, to a farmers' delegation from Sikkim who visited the USA recently.

Naik, during the discussion, said that the demand for organic commodities in the US is increasing by the day and Sikkim with its unique products, can find suitable markets. It was also informed in the meeting that Sikkim sought interventions and investments in the areas of marketing of organic commodities apart from health, education, and tourism sectors in the State.

Sikkim is the first state in the world that has been declared 100 percent organic by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The Sikkim Agriculture Department delegation led by Minister for Agriculture, Lok Nath Sharma visited the Kahlon farms owned by an Indian American Mr. Raj at Merced, near San Francisco, California on May 7.

Kahlon said crops that are grown in Sikkim such as turmeric and ginger have a huge market in the US and the farmers must produce such commodities for export to the US. He also indicated the possibility of a student exchange programme for learning about pistachio, almond, and walnut cultivation and processing from Sikkim and will provide details of the same after consultation with the Merced College, University of California.

He also expressed his willingness for the implementation of ‘hot house technology’ in Sikkim, a technology similar to greenhouse technology where the temperature is artificially controlled for the production of crops. This technology can help crop production year-round. He also put up the idea of Sikkim taking up an ‘exotic’ horse breeding programme for international clients such as Austria, Spain, and others.

He advised the farmers to never give up on their mission.

Kahlon's story is inspirational because he started his journey way back in the early 1990s when he migrated from Punjab in India and started farming with only 50 acres of land taken on lease. Today, after 30 years, he is the owner of RHM farms, with a whopping 10,000 acres of pistachio, almond, and walnut farms. About 7,000 acres are under pistachio crop cultivation.

Wishing to give back to the community in which he has thrived as a pistachio and almond farmer, Kahlon donated $ 5 million to support the agricultural programmes at Merced College for the construction of a 30,000 sq ft agriculture and industrial technology complex. This is the largest gift someone has ever shared in the history of Merced college history.

Mr. Kahlon has also made a partnership agreement with the Merced College foundation for developing approximately 100 acres of pistachios, which will generate additional funds for the college as well as provide an agricultural land lab for students to learn about production and harvesting practices.