MH's Latur District to Witness 15 Farmer Clusters Adopting Organic Farming on 300 Hectares

Fifteen farmer clusters have been formed for this program, with each receiving Rs 10 lakh over the next three years to plant crops in Chakur tehsil without the use of chemicals, he added. "For cultivation, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides are used in large quantities."

The state agriculture department is pushing organic farming under the Conventional Agriculture Development Scheme (CADS) to reduce the adverse consequences of such produce, according to the official.

"Under the Agricultural Technology Management System, the Nalegaon-based company will coordinate the implementation of organic farming on 300 hectares in the district."

"The Rs 10 lakh that will be given to each farmer's cluster will include assistance in obtaining Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification," he explained.

PGS is a quality assurance programme of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare's National Project of Organic Farming (NPOF). According to the official, these farmer clusters will also receive assistance with soil testing, green manure, establishing composition depots, and acquiring natural fertilisers.

According to him, each cluster comprises of 20 farmers from the villages of Nalegaon, Ajansonda (Khurd), Sawantwadi, Hatkarwadi, Ukachiwadi, Hudgewadi, Limbalwadi, Sugaon, and Gharni. "The goal is to provide consumers with chemical-free produce," said Dattatray Gavasane, project director of the Agricultural Technology Management System.