920 hectares of farmland in 12 UT villages to turn organic

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 8

The UT Administration has decided to promote organic farming in a big way.

Under an action plan prepared by the Director of Agriculture, Chandigarh, under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), organic crops will be grown on 920 hectares in all villages under the jurisdiction of the UT Administration.

Under the plan, clusters of land owned by small and marginal farmers will be formed where organic crops will be grown. The farmers will be provided with financial assistance for organic production, PGS certification, packaging and branding, and transportation. The objective is to raise their income.

The Administration has planned to spend Rs 4.60 crore in the next three years to switch to organic farming on the entire cultivated land of the villages.

Ajit Balaji Joshi, Deputy Commissioner-cum-Director, Agriculture, said the action plan had been prepared to help farmers raise their income and make villages a major hub of organic farming.

The financial assistance will be provided to the farmers through direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme.

The villages to be covered under the plan include Kaimbwala, Mani Majra, Hallo Majra, Raipur Khurd, Sarangpur, Khudda Jassu, Khudda Lohora, Dhanas, Khudda Ali Sher, Burail, DaduMajra and Maloya.

The Administration has also planned to market the organic crop so produced in major cities like Delhi and Mumbai besides the UT. Agencies will be engaged to market the products which will help the farmers increase their income by 10 per cent in the first year and 20 to 30 per cent in the following two years.

The DC said the aim of the project was to promote organic production through certified organic farming.

It will raise the farmers’ income and create a potential market for traders. It will also improve the fertility of the soil porosity, water infiltration and micro flora and fauna.