A Study of Customer Discernment, on Organic Products in Sikkim Dr. Banerjee Jayanta*, Chakraborty Debarun**, Dr. Bhowmick Suvamay*** *Associate Professor, Institute of Management, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India **Assistant Professor, Haldia Institute of Technology, Haldia, West Bengal, India ***Associate Professor, School of Management & Commerce, SRM University, Sikkim, India Online published on 17 December, 2016. Abstract Sustainable development has always been a bone of contention throughout the globe. If productivity was increased to meet the needs of the society it had some detrimental effect on the environment. After India gained her independence there was there was acute food shortage which continued for more than two decade. Government intervention and the implementation of the green revolution changed India's status from a food importer to a food exporter. This sensation achievement in agriculture had many unpleasant outcomes which started to be felt gradually. The “scientific’ farming methods which created food surplus had adverse effect in the form of pesticide in the food chain, fertilizer poisoning and growth of pathogens more immune to natural predators. Organic farming is generally observed to be an exceptional alternative to conventional farming. Sikkim is the first Indian state to formally introduce organic farming. By 2003 the state has converted all farmlands organic. This move was welcomed and appalled by Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi on his visit to Sikkim during the inauguration of the Sikkim Organic Festival 2016. Organic vegetables are better in nutritional value and environmental friendly as all the cultivation is done without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Organic farming retains soil fertility and also indirectly benefits the ecology and the native plant and animal species. In Sikkim organic farming had been the traditional farming practice. As Sikkim is a mountain state farmers use terrace farming in small area using rain water for irrigation. A large variety of crops can be cultivated due to the subtropical to alpine climate. The organic farm products are marketed through various government organizations, NGO's and farmers cooperatives. This paper evaluates the customer perception or discernment towards organic vegetables. A survey was conducted in Gangtok, Sikkim and data collected through questionnaire from customers buying vegetables. Several factors were analysed to draw conclusion regarding the research objective. Top Keywords Organic Farming, Green Revolution, Nutrition, Distribution, Sustainable Development. Top |