Himachal showing path to other states in natural farming: Governor

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla said that the farmers of Himachal Pradesh were showing keen interest in adopting natural farming and it was a matter of great contentment that other states were also coming forward to adopting this method of farming. 

He was addressing the two-day international conference on natural farming to enable sustainable food systems at Dr. Y.S. Parmar Horticulture and Forestry University, Nauni in Solan district, today. Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat was also present on the occasion as a special guest and keynote speaker,

Shri Shukla lauded the contribution of Nauni University in promoting natural farming across the country. He also appreciated the role of Acharya Devvrat, who revolutionized natural farming in Himachal Pradesh. He said that the growing popularity of this system was quite evident from the fact that about 1.94 lakh farmers of 3584 panchayats were growing diverse crops naturally on 34342 hectares of land. 

The Governor said that NITI Aayog had also started the 'National Mission on Natural Farming' based on the model of Himachal Pradesh for the implementation of natural farming. “It is a matter of pride for a small state like Himachal that agricultural scientists, research scholars, tourists, farmers and agricultural officers from all over the country are visiting the models established in Himachal to get detailed information on natural farming”, said Shri Shukla.

He added that to understand the importance of natural farming, the government of India was constantly making efforts to promote it. The Central government had linked this method with the "Traditional Agriculture Development Scheme" and guidelines had been issued for its implementation.

"In the financial year 2024-25, around 36,000 new farmers will be connected to this system by adding 10 new farmers in every panchayat and they will be certified in natural farming through the portal. 10 new farmer-producer associations will be formed to empower the farmers and better marketing of their products", said the Governor.

Governor Acharya Devvrat congratulated the farmers of Himachal Pradesh for adopting natural farming and appreciated the efforts of scientists of the university for the promotion of natural farming. He highlighted the positive results of research done in this direction by various universities and said that this method of farming was necessary for future generations. He detailed the ill effects of global warming and the damage caused by the excessive use of urea and DAP to increase production. He emphasized on adopting natural farming instead of organic farming.

Earlier, Vice Chancellor Dr. Rajeshwar Singh Chandel said that Acharya Devvrat had started the natural campaign in Himachal. He thanked the Agriculture Department for their support in the successful implementation of this campaign in the state.

Dr. R.C. Aggarwal, Indian Council of Agriculture Research, New Delhi said that ICAR was providing all possible help for research and extension activities for natural farming. 

Prof. Allison M Loconto, Deputy Director, LISIS, INRAE, France congratulated the Nauni University for organizing the international conference and said that INRAE was working in the field of agriculture practice, marketing, certification and lowering the agrochemical dependency and much more.

President, of the Indian Ecological Society, Himachal Chapter Dr. Pradeep Kumar said the farmers of the state were adopting natural farming extensively.

 Director Extension, Education and Convener Organizing Committee Dr. Inder Dev, welcomed the Governors and Chairman, Organizing Committee Dr. S.K.Chauhan proposed a vote of thanks on the occasion.

Secretary to Governor C.P. Verma, Deputy Commissioner Solan Manmohan Sharma, Padam Shree Dr. Nek Ram and Vidyanand Sareik, Vice Chancellor of various universities and farmers were also present on the occasion.