State govt to provide special MSP for maize, wheat: Agri Minister
Nurpur, August 20
In order to boost natural farming, the state government will provide special enhanced minimum support price (MSP) to the natural farming yield of wheat and maize.
This was stated by Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister Chander Kumar at a public meeting while inaugurating a mass sensitization programme on natural farming at Jarot in the neighbouring Jawali Assembly constituency of Kangra. He said the government would provide Rs 40 and Rs 30 per kg MSP for organic wheat and maize, respectively.
The sensitisation programme was organised under the aegis of the Agriculture Department and Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA). The minister said that the excessive use of chemicals had become a health hazard for the consumers and natural farming was a better low-cost option in saving cereal crops from the bad impact of chemical fertilisers. Kumar said in order to strengthen the economy of farmers and fruit growers, the state government was motivating and encouraging them to adopt natural farming by providing them agricultural equipment at subsidised rates through Khushhal Kisan Yojana.
He claimed that adopting this farming technique would result in an increase of farm yield and also reduce the farming cost. He said that in order to promote natural farming, the state government was organising awareness camps and providing training to the farmers from time to time. He informed that under the Khushhal Kisan Yojana, chemical-free farming had been adopted by 40,842 farmers.
On this occasion, Project Director of ATMA, Dr RK Bhardwaj also apprised the farmers of the benefits of natural farming. He said the ATMA was providing training to farmers to adopt natural farming.
He added that for the production of natural farming liquid, 75 per cent subsidy on plastic drums or a maximum of Rs 750 per drum was given on purchasing three drums. Similarly, a grant of 80 per cent or a maximum of Rs 8,000 was given on the construction of cow shed floor. Deputy Director of Agriculture Rahul Katoch also addressed the farmers.
On this occasion, the Agriculture Minister inspected the exhibition of millets prepared through natural farming by the department.
