Himachal govt halts BJP’s flagship natural farming scheme

Acharya Devvrat, the then governor of Himachal, who is now the governor of Gujarat, was the driving force behind Prakritik Kheti Khushal Kisan Yojana

The Himachal Pradesh government has discontinued the “Prakritik Kheti Khushal Kisan Yojana”, one of the flagship scheme started by the Jai Ram Thakur-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to encourage chemical-free farming in the state.

State agriculture minister Chander Kumar said the government employees will be transferred to other departments and the outsourced staffers will be terminated (HT Photo)

Acharya Devvrat, the then governor of Himachal, who is now the governor of Gujarat, was the driving force behind the scheme.

Currently, over 1.71 lakh farmers are practising natural farming techniques in the state with their farms spread across an area of over 24,000 hectare. State agriculture minister Chander Kumar announced on Monday that the scheme is being discontinued and the state will promote organic farming through its schemes. The state government allocated around ₹25 crore annually for the promotion of natural farming.

“Previous government had diverted the money sanctioned under agricultural technology management agency for organic farming to start this scheme,” he said, adding that MS Swaminathan was known as the father of green revolution in India and he encouraged chemical farming and organic farming.

“I have ordered the department to repatriate the state government staff on deputation at this scheme and terminate the services of the outsourced employees,’ the minister added.

Kumar asserted that the he has directed scientists to take the research work to the fields and hold regular camps to upgrade the technical know how of the farmers. In a bid to promote sustainable agriculture and reduce the dependence on chemical inputs, the Himachal government introduced the natural farming scheme five years ago. Initially, 2,669 farmers adopted natural farming schemes. The success of chemical-free farming can be gauged from the fact that 1.71 lakh farmers opted for this, with over 60% of them being women.

What is natural farming

Natural farming discourages the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and instead relies on farm inputs derived from cow’s urine and dung, along with locally-sourced leaves. This low-cost approach to agriculture is said to be in harmony with nature and ensures the production of chemical-free and nutrient-rich crops, thus promoting health and well-being of farmers and consumers.