Haryana govt to set up committees in every district to promote natural farming

Chandigarh, Jul 8 (PTI) To promote natural farming in the state, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday announced that 'Prakriti Shri Anna Prerak Kisan Committees' will be constituted in every district of Haryana. The primary responsibility of these committees will be to reach out to farmers, visit their farms and coordinate with the government to connect them with natural farming. They will, in effect, serve as ambassadors of natural farming, he said. He was addressing the 'Prakritik kheti Samvad' event, organised by the Haryana Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department in Panchkula. During the programme, he also interacted with farmers and assured them that the suggestions received from them would be implemented at the earliest. He also directed Agriculture Department officers to release subsidies to farmers practising natural farming who have applied for assistance to purchase cows. Saini said that natural farming is not merely a method of cultivation but a campaign to restore the bond between farmers, nature and society that has weakened over time. It is a means of serving Mother Earth, reducing the cost of cultivation, conserving water and soil, and securing a safe future for coming generations, he said. Natural farming would emerge as the strongest pillar in realising Prime Minister Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat. For this, both the government and farmers must work together to transform natural farming into a people's movement, he added. The state government would interact directly with farmers from time to time and continue making sustained efforts to take the campaign for natural farming to every section of society, the chief minister noted. He further said that Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat would also be invited to major seminars so that farmers could benefit from his rich experience. He said the 'Samvad' was not merely an opportunity to learn the techniques of natural farming but also a campaign to revive the centuries-old, inseparable relationship between farmers and nature. Saini said humanity had undoubtedly made significant progress, but in the process had also exploited the earth excessively. Today, the real question is not whether fertilisers and pesticides are available, but what kind of earth and environment we will leave behind for future generations. He said that in earlier times, labourers in grain markets could easily lift heavy sacks of produce, but today, changing lifestyles, chemical farming and natural imbalance have adversely affected people's health. Therefore, changing the direction of agriculture has become the need of the hour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a clear vision that natural farming is the need of the 21st century. It is not merely a new system of farming but a campaign to save the earth. It is a means of reducing farmers' cultivation costs, protecting the environment and building a prosperous Viksit Bharat for future generations, Saini said. Speaking on the occasion, progressive farmer Dharampal Yadav from Uttar Pradesh said practising agriculture and understanding agriculture are two different things. He said that real agricultural wisdom lies in understanding the course of nature and working in harmony with it or guiding it in a positive direction. If farming is viewed only from an economic perspective, its environmental and social consequences are ignored, said Yadav. PTI SUN BAL BAL