Himachal Agri Dept urges farmers to adopt natural farming

The Agriculture Department, in collaboration with Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd. (IFFCO), organised farmers’ awareness workshops at Giora and Suliali yesterday to promote sustainable agriculture and inform farmers about government welfare schemes.

Addressing the gatherings, Subject Matter Specialist (SMS) from Nurpur Agriculture Block, Dr Shailesh Paul Sood, encouraged farmers to adopt natural farming practices under the Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA). He stressed the importance of using fertilisers judiciously and recommended blending NANO urea, NANO DAP and SAGRIKA with conventional granular fertilisers to reduce excessive dependence on chemical inputs. This, he said, would also ease the financial burden on central and state subsidies.

Farmers were educated about the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, under which maize and paddy growers can insure their crops by paying a premium of Rs 48 per kanal. The scheme provides compensation for losses due to landslides, waterlogging, lightning and hurricanes.

The workshops also emphasised the benefits of seed treatment, soil testing and cultivation of protein-rich Nutri cereals like millets. Remedies for controlling fall armyworm in maize crops were also discussed.