|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Organic farming as a concept has not attracted much the imagination of farmers in this part of the country. Of course, some farmers in this region have switched over to organic farming, but their number is negligible. Reason: there is no encouragement or incentive either from the Punjab Government or the Centre to promote organic farming in a big way. However, the Uttarakhand and Maharashtra Governments are engaged in encouraging farmers to take to this type of farming. There are certain NGOs, which have been working hard to promote organic farming. Obviously, farmers who believe in traditional agriculture have certain fears about organic farming. That is why they have not been showing the desired interest in it. The other reason is that there is no proper dissemination of information to farmers regarding organic farming. There is extensive lack of technical knowhow in this regard. The key fear of farmers is that it entails a fall in the production. Farmers have been made to believe that there is less production in case chemical fertilisers and pesticides are not used.
However, there are farmers such as Jaspal Singh Chatha, a public school-educated farmer, who have developed a lasting interest in organic farming. In fact, Jaspal Singh has moved ahead of the organic farming concept. He has been doing biodynamic farming, which is an advanced stage of organic farming. "There is a certain school of thought which believes that heavenly bodies such as the moon and other planets also play a role in the growth of various crops. I am a votary of that school of thought", says Jaspal Singh. "In earlier times, our elders used to seek the help of astrologers to find out the location of various planets before the sowing of any crop, even during harvesting time. I feel that the elders were aware about the effect of planets on the growth of various crops", he says. "For instance, the positioning of the moon at the time of sowing, growing and maturing of some of the crops plays a role in their yield level", claims Jaspal Singh, who, after passing out from Yadavindra Public School, Patiala, and then graduating from DAV College, Chandigarh, started farming at his Mussewal village, near Nakodar, in Jalandhar district. He owns 30 acres and grows wheat, basmati, pulses such as mahan and moong and turmeric, mustard and linseed. "My entire produce of wheat and other crops is certified by the Institute of Marketecology (IMO)", says Jaspal Singh. Initially, Jaspal faced a lot of problems. "It was not a smooth sailing in the beginning. However, now I am comfortable and also encouraging other farmers to adopt this technique of farming", he says. His elders shifted from Kenya to India in 1964. After graduation, he took the training in Uttarakhand in organic farming in 2004. "The first time I heard about this type of farming was in 2002. One woman Vanita Shah was doing organic farming in Uttarakhand. She told me that the training was imparted in her native state. After a formal training of a few weeks, I made up my mind to do this type of farming only and to bid goodbye to traditional farming forever. "I started using bio-waste, especially the recycling of the crop residue for the purpose of compost, to nurse various crops and completely do away with the use of pesticides and other chemicals on my fields", says Jaspal Singh. "This year, the yield of turmeric on my farm was about 100 quintals per acre and I believe that is a very good level of yield", he adds. "I have sold the turmeric seed at Rs 50 kg. That means I have earned Rs 5 lakh from one acre. Obviously, I am very satisfied in this regard. The processed turmeric sells at Rs 250 per kg. My wheat has a ready market now. It sells in the range of Rs 2500 per quintal whereas at the initial stage, I faced problems to dispose of my foodgrains," he adds. There is a fall in the input cost for growing various crops. The heavy use of chemicals has spoiled the texture of the soil. The soil health has deteriorated to the extent that it has become useless at some places. Chemicals are seeping in various foodgrains, leading to a spread of diseases such as cancer. There is high incidence of heart diseases, kidney problems and liver ailments. "All that is because of the irrational and injudicious use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides", says Jaspal Singh,who is also associated with various experts of biodynamic farming in other countries such as New Zealand and Switzerland. Instead of chemicals and
pesticides, he uses the CPP (cow pat pit) technique for the treatment
of seed, soil and for folio spray. As much as 30 kg of CPP is enough
for one acre of land. There is now Biodynamic Association of India,
which is engaged in educating farmers with regard to this new
technique of farming. "People in this part of the country should
learn from our experience and shift to organic farming", he
asserts.
|
|||
|
|
|||
