‘Extend it to all other crops’: Himachal farmers’ wish after state govt’s scheme on maize produced via natural farming

Chaman Lal, who is from Padol colony successful Sirmaur district, successful his 5 bighas of onshore that is cultivable switched to earthy farming successful 2018 aft attending a seminar.

“In 2018, I switched to earthy farming aft attending a seminar organised by the authorities agriculture section successful Kufri, Shimla. Among different crops and fruits, I turn maize. In the unfastened market, I utilized to get a maximum terms of Rs 22–Rs 24 per kg for maize grown naturally. However, this is the archetypal clip the authorities authorities is procuring maize astatine Rs 30 per kg, which amounts to Rs 3,000 per quintal. The strategy should beryllium extended to different crops also,” helium said.

Meena Devi and Chaman Lal, practising earthy farming hundreds of kilometres apart, are among the astir 1.40 lakh farmers successful the authorities adopting earthy farming. Of these, 3,218 farmers person registered to merchantability their maize to the authorities astatine the authoritative complaint of Rs 3,000 per quintal for the archetypal time. While Meena Devi has supplied 3 quintals of maize to the authorities mandi, Chaman Lal plans to merchantability 8 quintals.

Dr Mahender Bhawani, Deputy Director, Prakritik Kheti Khushal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y), told this analogous that the conception of earthy farming was introduced successful the authorities successful 2018, making respective farmers power to earthy method, but the authorities had not antecedently acceptable a procurement terms for immoderate of the crops grown naturally.

“This year, the terms was fixed for maize astatine Rs 3,000 per quintal. Maize is 1 of the astir wide grown grains successful the state, and we invited farmers to merchantability their surplus maize to the government. So far, 3,218 earthy farmers person registered with us, committing to merchantability astir 508.9 metric tons (MT) of maize. The procurement process has present begun,” Bhawani added.

He further said that for the adjacent year, wheat grown done earthy farming volition autumn into the ambit of procurement connected fixed terms from the farmers. Efforts are connected to scope a fixed terms of the wheat per quintal, Bhawani added.

The highest procurement is expected from Solan district, wherever 1,128 earthy farmers person registered to merchantability 140 MT of maize. Sirmaur territory follows with 132.94 MT from 434 farmers, and Chamba territory with 83.165 MT from 357 farmers. The procurement process has already begun successful Kangra, Mandi, and Chamba districts.

Under the PK3Y initiative, the Himachal authorities besides provides subsidies connected definite things including for desi cattle whose dung is utilized for making the compost considered to beryllium affluent successful nutrients similar nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and tin assistance amended ungraded structure, aeration, and h2o infiltration. The authorities provides a subsidy of Rs 25,000 connected the acquisition of a desi cattle which costs betwixt Rs 55,000 and Rs 65,000.

The authorities authorities has procured 100.85 MT maize from the farmers successful the past 3 days during the archetypal signifier of the procurement. This procurement has been done successful 7 districts: Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Sirmaur, Solan and Una. The procurement nether signifier 2 of the task volition beryllium started successful November. The Himachal authorities is expecting the procurement of 508.9 MT maize.