Kolkata: Believe it or not, the tiny landlocked hilly state of Sikkim has become India’s first fully organic state by converting around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land into sustainable cultivation.

With this great feat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself will formally announce the same at a sustainable agriculture conference to be held in Gangtok on January 18.

As per Sikkim Organic Mission Executive Director Dr Anbalagan, the state had achieved fully-organic status in the end of December after gradually converting 75,000 hectares of agricultural land into certified organic land by implementing organic practices and principles as per guidelines laid down in National Programme for Organic Production.

It may be recalled that 12-years-ago, the Pawan Chamling-led government decided to make Sikkim an organic farming state through a declaration in the legislative assembly. Soon the state banned sales of chemicals, leaving the farmers with no other option but to go organic.