Assam Govt Encourages Agri Scientists to do More Scientific Research in Natural Farming

According to Assam Agricultural Minister Atul Bora, wide portions of north eastern states, including Assam, remain unaffected by the use of various fertilizers, insecticides, and other synthetic chemicals.

Bora stated that tribal farmers in hilly areas, in particular, had been practicing natural farming for decades. These farmers now simply require scientific procedures that are consistent with their traditional agricultural methods in order to increase their output.

Bora mentioned the negative impact of climate change on the agricultural sector around the world while speaking at a one-day workshop on 'National Mission on Natural Farming' organized by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Assam in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare at Assam Administrative Staff College, Guwahati. The minister advised agriculture officials to focus on long-term agricultural production systems in order to avoid irreversible repercussions on the agro-ecosystem.

Bora emphasized the threat to human health posed by the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture and urged the Assam Agricultural University and other agricultural research institutes in the North Eastern States to provide farmers with proper technical guidance in organic and natural farming.

The agriculture minister stated that because the majority of farmers in the state are marginal, practicing natural farming system will be more profitable for them as the cost of production of chemical based farming system is increasing day by day. The minister also asked experts to focus on developing a more holistic, sustainable, and safe natural farming management production system.

State-owned banks will submit to the government a detailed scenario-mapped plan of various business risks within two weeks, according to persons acquainted with the situation. They will also lay out a communication strategy in case of an emergency, they said. Mutual funds are going all out to entice clients to participate in their debt schemes before March 31, when the tax advantage these products currently enjoy expires.

Lenders of bankrupt Reliance Capital are concerned that their loan recovery will fall below the financial services company's liquidation value of 12,500-13,000 crore because both bidders, Hinduja Group and Torrent Investments, are unwilling to improve their offers, according to bankers familiar with the situation.