SHIMLA: An ascending trend has been observed in Himachal Pradesh over the last few years where farmers and horticulturists have been increasingly drawn towards natural farming. Farmers, in large number across the state, have adopted chemical free farming which is evident from the fact that over 2,23,000 farmers and horticulturists have adopted natural farming, either partially or fully in almost all the panchayats of the State.
It is pertinent to mention here that all this has become possible due to the initiatives taken by the Government to promote natural farming in the State aimed to strengthen the rural economy and making farmers self-reliant. The state government has focused upon exploring options for additional income generation for farmers, ensuring fair prices for their produce, providing quality seeds, expanding and strengthening irrigation facilities, providing crop insurance, providing trainings and promoting agricultural research. Even in this financial year's Budget, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has focused on strengthening the agrarian economy.
The government is working to harness every potential aspect that could contribute to the growth of agriculture sector besides introducing new schemes. These schemes are being effectively implemented and monitored through professionals to ensure that benefits may percolate at grassroots level without any administrative hurdle or delay. The people are witness to the unprecedented, bold and historic decisions taken by the government in the interest of farmers in the past two and a half years. In a first of its kind decision, the state government has promoted natural farming by providing a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for various crops grown through this method. Last year, an MSP of Rs. 30 per kilogram was fixed for maize. This decision brought a wave of joy among farmers and motivated them towards adopting chemical-free farming on large scale.
In view of this, the state government further increased the MSP for maize from Rs. 30 to Rs. 40 per kilogram in the year 2025-26. So far, the state government has procured around 400 metric tons of maize from 1,509 farmers at the support price. Similarly, the procurement process for wheat is ongoing throughout the state which is being procured by the government at an MSP of Rs. 60 per kilogram. After the response from the agricultural community to the provision of MSP for natural farming, the government has decided to further announce an MSP of Rs. 90 on raw turmeric grown using natural farming techniques. From this financial year, the state government has decided to provide an MSP for raw turmeric which will be processed and marketed under the brand name ‘Himachal Haldi’. The state government has set a target to connect 9.61 lakh farmers with natural farming in a phased manner.
To facilitate the sale of produce under natural farming, designated spaces are being developed in 10 market yards with the necessary infrastructure. Under the Prakritik Kheti Khushal Yojana, in the fiscal year 2023–24 and 2024–25, an expenditure of Rs. 27.60 crore has been incurred and for the current financial year a budget of Rs. 7.28 crore has been allocated. A high-level committee at the state level, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, has been formed to provide valuable guidance under the scheme. The implementation and monitoring is being done by a special task force headed by the Chief Secretary. To further encourage farmers to adopt natural farming, the government is providing various types of subsidies, including Rs. 750 per drum up to a maximum of Rs. 2,250 for the purchase of drums. An assistance of Rs. 8,000 is being given for construction of a concrete floor in cowsheds and for building a pit to collect cow urine. A subsidy of 50 percent upto a maximum of Rs. 25,000 is being provided for the purchase of indigenous cows, with an additional provision of Rs. 5,000 for their transportation. Another advantage of the natural farming worth highlighting is that it is a zero-budget farming.
The minimal input costs result in an increase in farmers' income, leading to a significant improvement in their standard of living. Crops grown using natural methods are more nutritious and the absence of chemicals help preserve the soil’s fertility and quality as well. The state government’s initiative to promote natural farming and the ongoing efforts in this direction would prove to be a significant leap toward strengthening the rural and agricultural economy.