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H.P. moves towards organic farming

Staff Correspondent

Agriculture Department is promoting organic farming

SHIMLA: The farmers of the hill State are now rapidly moving towards the select domain of organic farming and using bio-fertilisers while growing the off-season vegetables in a big way.

An official spokesman claimed that the State Agriculture Department is promoting organic farming through large scale training programmes, demonstrations, increased use of organic manures, bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides, green manuring and also popularising vermi composting in the farms. Over 27000 vermi compost units have already been set up till last year and 15000 more are being set up during the current year. In order to demonstrate the technology, three departmental farms have been converted into Organic Demonstration Farms and 5657 farmers have so far been registered for organic farming in 41 clusters and 645 villages, said the spokesman.

He said that central assistance has also been sought under the National Project on Organic Farming and other schemes for organising large-scale trainings, demonstrations and promotion of bio-fertilizers and vermi composting. A trained manpower of 100 Extension Officers and 100 Scientists has also been geared up to educate the farmers in this regard. For research and development, the State Agriculture University has already started work to prepare a package of practices for organic farming for which a separate organic farm has also been set up by the University at Palampur and at Bajaura in Kullu District.

For reducing the cost of certification, Internal Control System is being promoted for which unemployed youths are being provided training for six months and the first batch of trained persons isalready working in the State. The farmers of the hill state have shown great enthusiasm and interest in adopting organic farming particularly in commercial agriculture.

Since 80 per cent of the State's area is rain-fed, organic farming is proving a boon for sustainable agriculture through better moisture conservation for the growing of crops. The first consignment of organic produce of 272 farmers in an area of 1154 acres has been made available for marketing and the commodities include vegetables, cereals, potato, pulses and stone fruits.

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