Agriculture Minister Shelved Natural Farming Program, Orders Inquiry Into Fund Utilisation

Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar is making a significant change in the government's approach by merging the natural farming program with organic farming. They will stop funding natural farming and investigate its past spending.

Kumar highlighted that there isn't a big difference between natural and organic farming, which prompted this change. To prevent money from being spent on meetings and events related to natural farming, an investigation will look into past expenses.

The earlier government introduced natural farming under the Prakritik Kheti Khushal Kisan Yojana to lower farming costs, increase income, and promote chemical-free crop production. This program initially aimed at 500 farmers but expanded to 2,669 in 2018-19. In 2019-20, a remarkable 54,914 farmers embraced natural farming, covering 2,451 hectares, with hopes of reaching 20,000 hectares.

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The state government had ambitious plans to involve 9.61 lakh farmers in this initiative by the end of 2022. Early results from the Agriculture Department showed that natural farming reduced cultivation costs by 46% and boosted profits by 22% in the first year. A survey also revealed lower disease rates in natural farming orchards.

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This shift aligns with the government's aim to improve agricultural income and reduce farming expenses by adopting sustainable and chemical-free practices. The Minister's decision to scrutinize fund usage ensures that these programs effectively benefit farmers.

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