In Bhatapara, Agriculture Minister Ramvichar Netam described organic farming as the basis of a secure future. Announced assistance of Rs 15 thousand per acre on pulses-oilseed farming.
Raipur. Chhattisgarh Agriculture Minister Shri Ramvichar Netam has said that if the coming generations are to be given a healthy life and a secure future, then the increasing dependence on chemical fertilizers will have to be reduced. He said that the biggest need of the hour is to promote organic and natural farming to save the fertility of soil and provide better health to the people.
He was addressing the district level oilseed fair and organic farming workshop organized in Bhatapara. Many public representatives including Revenue Minister Mr. Tank Ram Verma, Rajya Sabha MP Mrs. Lakshmi Verma and Raipur Lok Sabha MP Mr. Brijmohan Agarwal were present in this program organized in the auditorium of Government Gajanand Agarwal Post Graduate College.
Organic Farming Campaign: Natural farming is getting a boost through ‘Khet Chalo Abhiyan’
Agriculture Minister Shri Netam said that on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ‘Khet Chalo Abhiyan’ is being conducted across the country from June 1 to June 30. The aim of this campaign is to motivate farmers towards natural and traditional farming. He said that Chhattisgarh is called the ‘rice bowl’ of the country, but in the race for more production, excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has become a matter of concern. This appears to increase production in the short run, but in the long run both soil quality and human health are affected.
Chemical Fertilizer Impact: Increasing threat to soil and health from chemical fertilizers
The Agriculture Minister said that the continuous use of chemical substances in farming is weakening the natural fertility of the land. Along with this, the quality of food items is also being affected. He urged the farmers not to be limited to traditional farming only, but to develop additional sources of income by adopting allied businesses like animal husbandry, pisciculture and goat rearing. This will make farming more profitable and sustainable.
Krishak Unnati Yojana: 15 thousand rupees per acre will be given on cultivation of pulses and oilseeds.
The state government is making continuous efforts to make the farmers economically stronger. Agriculture Minister Shri Netam said that the government has expanded the scope of Krishak Unnati Yojana. Now, in the Kharif season, farmers cultivating pulses and oilseed crops instead of paddy will be provided input assistance at the rate of Rs 15,000 per acre. He appealed to the farmers to take maximum benefit of this scheme.
Natural Farming Benefits: Livestock based farming will increase farmers’ income
In the program, Revenue Minister Shri Tank Ram Verma said that organic farming is the most effective means of increasing the income of farmers and making agriculture sustainable. He said that earlier the agricultural system was based on livestock, due to which both the quality of the land and the environment were protected. At present, pollution of water, air and food items is increasing due to excessive use of chemical fertilizers. If the land is healthy then better and pure production will be obtained, due to which the society will also become healthy.
Bhatapara Tilhan Mela: Distribution of seed kits, nano urea and modern equipment to farmers
During the program, benefits of various government schemes were also provided to the beneficiaries. The guests distributed pigeon pea seed kits to 5 farmers and nano urea to 5 farmers. Apart from this, modern dragnets and ice boxes were provided to two fishermen societies. This is expected to boost fishing activities.
PM Kisan Samman Nidhi: Honorable farmers honored
In the programme, five farmers each, who did excellent work under the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana and PM Asha Yojana, were honored with citations. On this occasion, Municipality President, former MLA Dr. Sanam Jangade, Chief Executive Officer of District Panchayat, departmental officers and a large number of progressive farmers were present.