Agri Minister lays stress on natural farming practices

Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana flagged off the PM-PRANAM Kisan Marathon on Sunday from the HSVP Ground at Sector 32. The programme, organised by Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd under the Sewa Pakhwada, witnessed enthusiastic participation of hundreds of farmers, showcasing their collective commitment towards sustainable and natural farming practices.

Addressing the gathering as the chief guest, Rana said the Haryana Government was making continuous efforts to promote natural farming and motivate the farmers to adopt it. He announced that the farmers engaged in natural farming were being provided with indigenous cows by the government. Further, special markets for natural farming produce would soon be established in Gurugram and Hisar, while a committee would be set up to decide fair prices for such crops.

Highlighting another major decision, he said the state Government had advanced paddy procurement by one week and that preparations in mandis were complete. He said on the call of PM Narendra Modi, the entire country was observing Sewa Pakhwada from September 17 to October 2, with different activities each day to spread awareness among the people. As part of the campaign, the PM-PRANAM Kisan Marathon was organised on Sunday to raise awareness about protecting soil health. The marathon highlighted the crucial role of the farmers in safeguarding Mother Earth.

He said just as people took care of their health, it was equally important to take care of soil health. Excessive use of urea and pesticides was damaging the soil, and to prevent this, PM Modi was encouraging the farmers to adopt natural farming practices.

He emphasised that to make the nation self-reliant, it was essential to promote the use of swadeshi (indigenous) products so that the country’s wealth remained within the nation, thereby strengthening the Indian economy.

On the occasion, Indri MLA Ram Kumar Kashyap joined Rana in flagging off the marathon and later visited the agricultural exhibition organised at the venue.

Karnal MLA Jagmohan Anand boosted the morale of the marathon participants and emphasised that both Centre and State Governments were working for the farmers’ welfare with a focus on sustainable farming. Dr Siba Prasad Mohanty, Managing Director of HURL, expressed that every step taken in this marathon symbolised a step towards sustainability.