Haryana CM unveils initiatives to promote organic farming

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has announced a series of initiatives to promote natural and organic farming across the state including setting up of natural and organic mandis in Gurugram and Hisar.

Advertisement

Speaking at the Natural Farming Conference held at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, on World Environment Day, the Chief Minister emphasised that natural farming offers a sustainable solution to today’s pressing environmental and health challenges.

The Chief Minister said that the natural and organic mandis in Gurugram and Hisar would provide a dedicated market for produce grown without chemicals. While the Gurugram mandi would handle grains and pulses, the Hisar facility would focus on fruits and vegetables, he said adding that a committee under Haryana Kisan Kalyan Pradhikaran would be set up to decide fair prices for naturally grown produce.

He informed that to support farmers transitioning to natural methods, the government would provide Rs 20,000 per farmer for branding and packaging of natural farming products. In addition, free laboratory testing of produce would be offered and panchayat lands (minimum one acre) would be earmarked in every village exclusively for landless farmers practicing natural farming, he said.

Farmers cultivating on panchayat or government land will also receive Rs 3,000 for drums used for storing raw materials, along with Rs 30,000 subsidy for purchasing a ‘desi’ cow.

The CM also announced that 53 acres of Agriculture Department land in Kaithal’s Pundri block would be leased via auction to farmers doing natural farming.

Training centres for natural farming have been set up in Kurukshetra, Jind, Sirsa and Karnal. A dedicated portal is already functional, he said adding that over 35,000 farmers have attended 720 seminars and 22 workshops since 2022. So far, Rs 1.23 crore in cow subsidies and Rs 75 lakh for drum procurement have been disbursed.

Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat, who was also present at the event, called natural farming “the need of the hour”, warning of health hazards caused by chemical farming. He cited rising diseases like cancer and diabetes as consequences and highlighted natural farming’s ability to preserve soil, save water and lower input costs. He encouraged farmers to benefit from the National Natural Farming Mission, backed by a Rs 1,481 crore allocation for 2025–26.

Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana and other dignitaries urged farmers to commit to this ecological shift, positioning Haryana as a model state for natural farming.