Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged states to make natural farming a mass movement, saying it will help save thousands of crores of rupees spent each year on importing chemicals and fertilizers.  While noting that chemicals and fertilizers had contributed significantly to the country's green revolution, Modi said there was a need now to look for alternatives.

"Natural farming will play important role in the transformation of Indian agriculture in 21st century," Modi declared. Farmers from across the country joined the event virtually. 

At least one village in every panchayat (village council) across the country should embrace natural farming, Modi told the National Conclave on Natural Farming at Anand in Gujarat via video conferencing. Reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides will reduce the input cost of farmers, he said.

"We have to import huge amounts of chemicals and fertilizers worth thousands of crores. Consequently, input cost goes up, expenses of farmers increase and the kitchen budget of the poor also goes up," he said.

Modi said that those who will benefit the most from natural farming will be the country's 800 million farmers, especially those who have less than two hectares of land.

"They spend a lot of money on chemical fertilizers. If they adopt natural farming, their cost will considerably come down."

The Modi government is implementing zero-budget natural farming to promote traditional and indigenous agricultural practices. The scheme emphasizes the exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs and promotes on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass mulching, use of cow dung-urine formulations and other plant-based preparations.

Zero-budget natural farming refers to farming without taking any credit or spending money on purchased inputs. Desi cow, its dung and urine play an important role from which various inputs are made on the farm and provide necessary nutrients to soil, Modi said.

He laid emphasis on re-learning ancient knowledge and adopting them as per the requirement of modern times.
(SAM)