Natural farming to be included in agricultural curriculum, says minister Narendra Singh Tomar

Tomar noted that natural farming is the need of the hour, in which the cost is less and the produce fetches more price.

Natural farming will now be part of the agricultural education, he said.

The government is making efforts to include soon the natural farming methods in agricultural education curriculum, the minister added.
Tomar recalled the period when there was a shortage of food grains compared to India’s population.

He said chemical fertilisers were used to increase foodgrains production and meet domestic demand.

“…today we grow food grains in surplus,” he added.

Tomar said the need is to follow the principles of healthy mind, healthy food, healthy agriculture and healthy human being.

For this, he said one should move towards natural farming. He said the natural farming is the farming of perfection.

“Livestock has an important contribution in this. The dung and cow urine of a native cow is sufficient for a common farmer to work in natural farming.

“If the country adopts natural farming, then cows will not be seen on the roads, but they will be used properly,” Tomar observed.

The union minister informed that 100 per cent natural farming is being done in Dang district of Gujarat. In Himachal too, farmers are fast moving in this direction. Madhya Pradesh has planned it in 5,000 villages.

Tomar said that agriculture has an important place in our country.

He pointed out that the fertility of the soil is weakening due to chemical farming.

Friendly bacteria are being killed.

“It is our responsibility to save the country from the crisis that it is going to face after 25 years,” he said.

Therefore, Tomar said the Prime Minister has re-launched the natural farming method and it is being given the form of a mass movement.

The Union Minister said the Centre is making efforts to increase the income of the farmers.

The MSP has been increased, while crores of farmers are being given Rs 6,000 every year through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN).

So far, more than Rs 2.16 lakh crore has been deposited directly into the bank accounts of the farmers. Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Rs 1.24 lakh crore has been given to the farmers in lieu of crop loss.