Farmers, NCC cadets urged to take up zero-budget farming

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, September 12

Governor Acharya Devvarat at a programme organised at the indoor stadium at Dharamsala on Wednesday urged the farmers to take up zero-budget natural farming. He addressed NCC cadets and farmers from Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi and Bilaspur districts. Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Kishan Kapoor was also present on the occasion.

The Governor had formally launched his pet project, zero-budget farming, from Palampur Agriculture University in the presence of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and four Cabinet ministers in January this year. The Governor has been advocating zero budget farming in the state.

Under this project, the agriculture university has dedicated 25 acre to practice the zero-budget farming model advocated by the Governor. The state government had also earmarked a budget of Rs 25 crore for promoting the zero-budget farming in the current financial year.

The Governor, while addressing the farmers and NCC cadets said both traditional farming using chemical fertilisers and pesticides and organic farming were unviable for the farmers in the country. The organic farming was more costly than the traditional farming as the farm inputs for it were expensive, the Governor said.

The Governor said 200-acre farm Gurukul in Kurukshetra, Haryana, was practicing zero-budget farming. Giving details about the zero-budget farming, the Governor said in this practice, manure produced from cow dung, urine, jaggery (gur) and gram flour was used. The pesticides were also produced from local products that were not toxic. He claimed that zero-budget farming would give equal yield as compared to traditional farming using fertilisers and pesticides. The Governor also invited the Chief Minister and other functionaries of the government to visit his farm in Haryana to experience zero budget farming.

The Governor also lamented the fact that in Himachal 17 sprays of pesticides were made on apple crop that made these toxic. He also urged the farmers to rear local varieties of cows.

Later in the programme, the Governor said the drug menace among youth of state was the biggest challenge being faced by the society.