Natural farming akin to serving Earth: Modi

The Prime Minister also lauded the efforts made by Gujarat’s Surat city on natural farming.

The mass movement for natural farming will be widely successful in the coming years, and the sooner farmers join this change, more they will reap its benefits, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The Prime Minister also lauded the efforts made by Gujarat’s Surat city on natural farming. “Surat’s success in engaging 75 farmers in every panchayat with natural farming is going to become an example for the entire country,” Modi said, addressing a conclave on natural farming in Surat via video conference. “This mass movement regarding natural farming will also be widely successful in the coming years. The sooner farmers join the change, the more successful they will be in reaping its benefits,” he said.

Adopting natural farming is akin to serving Mother Earth and is also basis for economic success, said Modi. “When you do natural farming, you serve Mother Earth, by protecting the quality of the soil and its productivity,” the PM said. “When you do natural farming, you are serving nature and the environment. You also get the privilege of serving Gaumata (mother cow).”

The PM also said that the entire world is talking about a sustainable lifestyle.

“This is one area where India has led the world for centuries, therefore, now is the time when we move forward on the path of natural farming and take full advantage of the global opportunities that are emerging,” he said.

The Prime Minister also spoke about the measures taken by the Union government for promoting natural farming through schemes like the ‘Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Scheme’. He said 30,000 clusters have been created all over the country under the scheme for the benefit of lakhs of farmers. Natural farming, the Prime Minister said, has been linked with the ‘Namami Gange’ project and an initiative has been undertaken to create a natural farming corridor along the Ganga river.

As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate 75 years of Independence, Modi in his address in Ahmedabad on March 11 appealed that at least 75 farmers in each village should adopt the natural way of farming.

Surat district authorities undertook an effort to identify 75 farmers in each gram panchayat and motivated and trained them to undertake natural farming. More than 41,000 farmers were trained at 90 different clusters in 550 panchayats across district.

“This is a great beginning and is very encouraging. The Surat model of natural farming can become a model for the entire country,” Modi said.