Over 2.2 lakh farmers engaged in natural farming in Himachal

Shimla, Sep 16 (PTI) More than 2,22,893 farmers are cultivating a variety of crops naturally on 38,437 hectares of land in 3,584 panchayats of Himachal Pradesh, earning a sustainable livelihood, officials said on Tuesday.

The government has provided training to 3.06 lakh farmers and horticulturists in natural farming practices and has set a target to integrate one lakh new farmers under the initiative by 2025-26, a statement issued here said.

So far, 59,068 farmers and horticulturists from 88 development blocks have submitted registration forms with the agriculture department.

"Nearly 90 per cent of the state's population lives in villages, and agriculture is their primary occupation and strengthening the rural economy is our priority. In the past two and a half years, we have introduced several schemes to empower farmers, increase their income, and improve their living standards," Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said.

The Himachal Pradesh government is also offering the highest Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the country for natural produce.

Currently, the state government is providing MSP of Rs 40 per kg for maize, Rs 60 per kg for wheat, Rs 90 per kg for raw turmeric, and Rs 60 per kg for barley (from the Pangi region) grown through natural farming.

To further support farmers, the government has initiated a "Natural Farming-Based Sustainable Food System", under which Farmer-Producer Companies (FPCs) are being established with 50-50 per cent funding support from the state government and NABARD.

To date, seven FPCs have been created in the state.

The state government is promoting products grown through natural farming under the 'Him-Bhog' brand, ensuring that consumers receive highly nutritious and chemical-free produce.

To ensure transparency in the sale of natural produce, the government has introduced an innovative self-certification system, Certified Evaluation Tool for Agriculture Resource Analysis-Natural Farming (CETARA-NF), under which 1,96,892 farmers have already been certified, the statement added. PTI BPL BAL BAL