Farmers go organic, reap profit

nesh Kanwar

Hamipur, May 30

Amid the Covid pandemic when people are finding it difficult to earn livelihood, the Atma project has helped farmers from the district increase their income by switching to organic farming in a scientific way.

Project director Niti Soni said more than 8,000 farmers were trained during a workshop. Apart from providing financial assistance, the farmers were given equipment and quality seeds.

Lalit Kalia of Harned village, who also underwent the training, said he had improved the yield in his fields and earned over Rs 30,000 in the current vegetable season.

He said financial help and training on scientific and natural agriculture organised under the Atma Project made it possible for him.

Sunita Devi, another farmer, said crop diversification had been more fruitful as conventional farming was less profitable. The production of vegetables, including capsicum, cucumber, peas, coriander etc, fetched them better price in the market, she added.

Another farmer from the Bamsan area said field visits organised by the Agriculture Department had changed their outlook towards farming and other related areas such as dairy farming, apiculture, sericulture and mushroom production.

The farmer said new techniques had changed the economy of farmers and people had started cultivating fields in which farming was abandoned due to poor returns.

Deputy Commissioner Debashaweta Banik said farmers must come forward to take the benefit of programmes started by the government.