Switch to organic farming, says Guv

Shimla, March 17

Governor Acharya Devvrat today said Himachal would emerge as a natural farming state and others would follow suit.

At a seminar on “Zero-Budget Natural Farming” (ZNBF) organised by Agriculture Department, he said natural farming was the only alternative to chemical and organic farming as it was safe and had the capacity to double the income of farmers. “Under this system, the cost of production becomes zero and products are non-poisonous. It also increases the productivity of land, requires less consumption of water, protects friendly pests and products are of best quality,” Devvrat said.

He said the number of diseases had increased due to unreasonable chemical farming and it was the right time to shift from chemical farming to natural farming.

The Governor also expressed concern over the monkey menace in the state.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said “Zero-Budget Natural Farming” not only enhanced soil fertility, but also had the capacity to provide supplement income to farmers since it required zero inputs.— TNS