AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT

Introduction

Sikkim, as small state with unique cultural and biological heritage declared as first organic state and has huge potential to produce varieties of fruits, vegetables and agricultural crops. It is basically an agrarian state. About 64% of its population depends on agriculture for their livelihood. Due to adverse geographical location and difficult terrain, the expansion of area under cultivation is limited. Being a mountainous state only 11% of the total geographical area of Sikkim is under cultivation, yet agriculture and horticulture is still the main stay of rural population of Sikkim.
For Sikkim, the best agriculture system is sustainable agriculture, which is economically viable for the individual farmer and also environmentally friendly, being an organic State, the department is propagating and advocating farmers to adopt new and modern technology of organic farming system to sustain production and certification process in identified areas.