Alternate therapy for healthy farm produce

Homoeopathy works wonders on the human body. But apparently, it has the same effect on plants too, as an ascetic in Allahabad has proven, reports Pankaj Jaiswal.

Homoeopathy works wonders on the human body. But apparently, it has the same effect on plants too, as an ascetic in Allahabad has proven. Over 400 farmers have shifted from chemical fertilizers and insecticides to his homoeopathic drugs and claim their crops have never been healthier.

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For the last five years, Swami Paramananda has been using his mixtures on farm produce with great success. He has formulated six mixtures — Homoeo Amrit, Sanjeevani, Rakshak, Sudha, Jeevan and Vardaan. While the first two eliminate the need for DAP and urea, two widely used fertilizers, the others protect against a variety of plant disease and pests. “Potatoes grown using my mixtures don’t shrivel up even months after harvesting. They don’t require cold storage too,” he says. “Farmers find these (mixtures) economical, effective and healthy. One little snag is that spraying can be laborious.”

What’s more, they are good for the environment too, Paramananda says. “Chemicals are damaging our soil. These medicines protect and conserve the soil, and increases yield."

Interestingly, Paramananda seems to believe the way to winning over the farmers is through their stomach. He has been holding community feasts that serve baati-chokha (stuffed wheat-flour balls and vegetables) made from homoeopathically-grown produce. The idea seems to be working too.