Need to promote natural farming to transform agriculture in state: Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today emphasised the importance of transforming the agriculture sector through the promotion of natural farming in the state.

Sukhu, while presiding over a meeting of the Agriculture Department here, directed all officers concerned to make concrete and coordinated efforts to promote natural farming in the state. He directed them to organise panchayat-wise camps to ensure farmers’ registration under natural farming initiatives. He added that accountability would be fixed in this regard at every level to achieve tangible outcomes.

Sukhu directed the chairpersons of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) to actively motivate and assist farmers in this direction. He also asked all APMCs to establish high-end silos for the procurement of naturally grown wheat, maize and raw turmeric.

The Chief Minister said that in its effort to strengthen government farms and promote natural farming, the Agriculture Department had developed three model farms at Bhattoo in Kangra district, Bhagani in Sirmaur district and Bairtee-Boch in Solan district. He added that more such model farms would be established in the coming time.

He also reviewed the progress of ongoing projects to construct controlled atmosphere (CA) stores in the state. He said that these CA stores were crucial for farmers and horticulturists in providing them with remunerative prices for their hard work. The state government would establish CA stores in Sundernagar of Mandi district, Annu (Jubbal), Chopal, Sundasu, Kharapathar, Duttnagar and Dhalli in Shimla district, Kandrouri and Sullah in Kangra district, Jabli in Solan district and Bhawanagar in Kinnaur district in a phased manner and had allocated Rs 330 crore for the purpose.

The Chief Minister also reviewed the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) project being implemented with an outlay of Rs 1,010 crore in all 12 districts of the state. Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, Dharampur MLA Chander Shekhar, Secretary (Agriculture) C. Paulrasu, Director (Agriculture) Kumud Singh and the chairpersons of various APMCs attended the meeting.