By Ahmad M.
(Managing Director, Kashmir Gold Organics)
Soil health forms the backbone of sustainable agriculture. Yet across the country—and particularly in Kashmir—years of excessive and imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers have severely degraded soils, reducing organic carbon, microbial activity, and long-term productivity. Organic fertilizers were meant to reverse this damage. Instead, widespread confusion, misclassification, and regulatory failure are turning them into another crisis at the ground level.
Despite the existence of a clear regulatory framework under the Fertiliser (Control) Order, 1985 (FCO), the organic fertilizer market today is plagued by misinformation and unethical practices. The result is a growing loss of trust among farmers, damage to orchards, and the near-collapse of genuine vermicompost production units.
Different products, one false label
The FCO clearly defines multiple categories of organic fertilizers, including vermicompost, farm yard manure (FYM), pressmud, and city compost. Each category has distinct standards based on parameters such as organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, moisture content, and permissible contaminants.
However, in practice, these distinctions have been blurred. In Kashmir, almost every form of organic manure—whether FYM, pressmud, or city compost—is being marketed and sold as vermicompost. Large quantities of low-cost material imported from other states are branded as vermicompost and sold at prices that genuine producers cannot compete with.
This mislabeling has created widespread confusion among farmers, who often purchase cheaper products believing them to be vermicompost, only to experience poor results in the field.
Why vermicompost is different
Vermicompost is not an ordinary manure. It is a biologically rich input produced through the controlled activity of earthworms, whose castings contain readily available nutrients, beneficial microbes, enzymes, and plant growth hormones. Numerous studies and field results have demonstrated its superior performance in improving soil structure, root development, and crop yield.
But vermicomposting is a scientifically demanding and labour-intensive process. It requires properly decomposed cow dung, controlled moisture and aeration, mineral grit for worm digestion, protection from light, and careful harvesting. The recovery rate is only 40–45 percent, meaning a farmer must handle more than double the raw material for the final output.
Given these realities, a sustainable market price for genuine vermicompost in Kashmir should be around ₹1,800 per quintal. Anything significantly cheaper raises serious questions about quality and authenticity.
Why units are failing
The high cost of production and the flooding of the market with cheaper, mislabeled products have pushed genuine vermicompost producers to the brink. Nearly 90 percent of vermicompost units—including those supported under government schemes—have failed.
This is not due to lack of effort or technical knowledge among farmers, but because they are unable to recover even their basic costs in a distorted and unregulated market.
Even more alarming is the growing practice of shortcut composting, where organic waste is treated with chemical or acidic decomposers instead of being biologically processed. Such material may look composted, but it lacks microbial life and, in some cases, actively harms soil health.
Reports from orchard belts indicate declining tree vitality and soil degradation linked to such inputs. These practices violate the spirit and letter of the FCO, yet enforcement remains weak.
The consequences of this unchecked system are far-reaching:
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Genuine vermicompost producers are being forced out of business.
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Farmers and orchardists are unknowingly applying inferior or harmful inputs.
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Soil health continues to deteriorate instead of recovering.
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Public confidence in organic farming is eroding.
