Palampur: Governor Acharya Devvrat urged the farmers to adopt zero budget natural farming so that Himachal Pradesh can emerge as a organic state in near future like Sikkim which had been declared as the first organic state of the country.
The Governor was speaking at a seminar on organic farming organized by CSK, Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur at Karsog in Mandi district, today.
He said that it was the need of the hour to promote and adopt organic farming which was possible only when every farmer starts rearing domestic cows. He said that one cow could be helpful in farming 30 acres of land and added that it would improve fertility of the soil, producing maximum yield by using minimum water and getting remunerative price of their product. He said that domestic cow was useful in every respect and with the help of traditional farming, revolution in agri sector could be generated.
He expressed concern that chemical fertilizers and pesticides had been introduced in the name of green revolution and to some extend they increased the production level but lead to degrading fertility of the soil and products so produced were harmful to the body. He added that some big companies were involved in exploiting the farmers.
The Governor said that the number of diseases had increased due to excessive use of chemical farming. He said that best part of adopting natural system of farming was that it has no financial implication and the farmers would not have to depend on the market as the organic fertiliser can be was prepared naturally by the farmer himself. He said that in natural farming, the farmers should be encouraged to rear domestic cows instead of hybrid one imported from abroad. He said that the cows found in hilly areas were significant in many ways. He said that to produce maximum or double agriculture crops in a limited area, the process of natural farming should be adopted.
He appreciated the efforts of scientists of Agriculture University and members of Youth Sustainable Development for promoting organic farming in the state. He expressed happiness on visiting Karsog for the first time and said that people of the state were honest, hardworking, progressive and humble.
The Governor also appealed the farmers to adopt cashless economy.
The Governor also inaugurated exhibition put up by the Agriculture University, Palampur and progressive Farmers of the State on organic farming. He took keen interest in organic products displayed in the exhibition.
Dr. Ashok Kumar Saryal, Vice Chancellor, CSK Agriculture University, Palampur honoured the Governor on the occasion and said that due to the adverse effects of chemical fertilizers and chemical products used in agriculture, organic farming was the only solution to improve the fertility of the soil and to produce healthy agri products.He said that consistent efforts were being done by the University in this direction and said that it was among the few universities in the country which had established separate departments of organic farming. He said that vast research work on organic farming was also being done in the university. Although, it was a challenging task, but our scientists were trying their best. He said that farmers camp were being organized throughout the state and every possible assistance and help was also provided to them. He thanked the Governor for sparing time in the seminar.
Dr. P.K. Mehta, Director, extension from Agriculture University also imparted knowledge of organic farming to the farmers. He also stressed upon local marketing and formation of self help groups. Dr. H.L. Sharma, senior scientist also briefed out the benefits, process and organic certification of organic farming and products.
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