Natural Farming is the Only Solution to Agricultural Problems: Agriculture secretary

A two-day capacity-building workshop for the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y) started on Monday at the Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry in Nauni, Himachal Pradesh's Solan district, with some key questions addressed on natural farming by the Secretary (Agriculture) Rakesh Kanwar.

"Following the introduction of PK3Y in 2018, the use of natural agricultural methods has already increased throughout the state. It is time to move past this, and the field workers should now examine the differences that occur on farms when we avoid using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, whether they relate to the soil, production, the environment, or nutrition "At the workshop, which was attended by over 260 staff members of the Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) and other people involved in natural farming, Kanwar gave a presentation titled "Agriculture: An Overview."

The State Project Implementing Unit (SPIU) of PK3Y is hosting the workshop as a participatory activity to generate an action plan for PK3Y in Himachal Pradesh through open discussion.

The Secretary said that natural farming techniques provide important answers to deal with agricultural concerns, and PK3Y's validation tests have already shown this.

Kanwar claims that in order to boost the idea of natural farming, PK3Y is now working on the certification of organic products, creating a marketing strategy, building farmer producer organizations, and expanding.

Kanwar said that during his most recent visit to Himachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the state for paving the path for other nations in natural farming.

According to him, natural farming has also become a top priority for the central government, and the creation of a national mission for natural farming and a centre of excellence for natural farming for Himalayan states, which may happen soon, would help the state's natural farming even more.