Dharamshala: Agriculture Minister Prof. Chandra Kumar in Sunday stated that Himachal had made significant strides in promoting natural farming.
As part of the government’s guarantee, the state has become a pioneer in offering the highest minimum support price (MSP) in the country for wheat and maize. Natural farming wheat is being purchased at ?40 per kg, and maize at ?30 per kg, benefiting 1,506 farmer families, with over 4,000 quintals of maize already procured, said Chandra Kumar.
Highlighting the progress, Prof. Kumar stated that natural farming is practiced on 35,000 hectares, involving 1.98 lakh farmers. To support them, over 1.5 lakh farmers have received free certification, and 36,000 more are being linked to natural farming initiatives this year. Infrastructure upgrades in 10 agricultural mandis are underway to streamline the sale of natural farming produce.
Under the third phase of the Rajiv Gandhi Startup Yojana, worth ?680 crore, the government aims to link agriculture with employment opportunities. The state also plans to launch a natural farming maize flour brand, Himbhog, soon. In addition, cow milk is being purchased at ?45 per liter and buffalo milk at ?55 per liter to support dairy farmers.
The minister also expressed concerns over the pending disaster relief of ?9,000 crore from the central government. Criticizing the BJP for attempting to destabilize the state’s Congress government, he commended the people for thwarting such efforts. Prof. Kumar reiterated the state’s commitment to farmers and rural development, emphasizing that Himachal Pradesh is setting a benchmark in sustainable agriculture and farmer welfare.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
