India. Time to work on alternatives to chemical fertilisers – PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called upon panchayats to ensure that at least one village under their jurisdiction adopts natural farming to make it a mass movement.

Addressing virtually a national conclave on natural farming in Ahmedabad, Modi said there was a need to take agriculture out of the chemical laboratory and connect it with nature’s lab. He said investors should also look towards processing of products produced through natural farming as that is the way to move forward.

“We need to take agriculture out of the chemical lab and connect it with nature’s lab. And natural farming is also science-based. Experts had opined that cows can play an important role in organic farming as their dung and urine can be used as both fertiliser as well as pesticide. This will reduce the cost of farming,” Modi said, adding that natural farming would prove more beneficial to small and marginal farmers.

Home Minister Amit Shah, who also holds the charge of minister for cooperation, said in the coming time, the ministry would set up a network of labs across the country that will test lands suitable for natural farming and products that are testified as natural.

“The government in the next two years plans to create a robust marketing infrastructure under the ministry for organic and natural produce,” Shah said.

Modi, meanwhile, in his address to the farmers said the time had come to “correct the mistakes” that have become part of farming.

“It is a fact that chemicals and fertilisers have played a crucial role in the green revolution. But it is also imperative to work on their alternatives. It is the right time to take big steps before the issues related to farming become severe,” the prime minister said.

He stressed the need to find alternatives of chemical fertilisers and pesticides saying the high cost of import shoots up the cost of farming and in turn increases the prices of farm produce for the common man.

Time has come to correct the mistakes that have now become part of farming, such as burning of farm residue and use of chemical fertilisers, he said, adding: “Experts say burning farm residue would actually reduce the productivity of the land.”

He said there was another misconception among the farmers is that higher yield is not possible without chemical fertilisers.

Business Standard

Tags: India, fertilisers