The Himachal Pradesh government has launched various schemes to improve the livelihood of the rural population and strengthen their economy.
Farmers are adopting natural farming on a large scale due to the enhanced benefits being provided by the present state government, including the increased Minimum Support Price (MSP) on wheat, maize, and milk etc, which is the highest in the country.
A spokesman of the state government said that this year, 2,123 quintals of naturally grown wheat had been procured at the rate of Rs 60 per kg from 838 farmers, and Rs 1.27 crore had been transferred through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) into their bank accounts.
In addition, a freight subsidy of Rs 4.15 lakh on the transportation of wheat had also been provided. The state government also purchased 127 metric tonnes of naturally grown raw turmeric at the rate of Rs 90 per kg from farmers of six districts, and Rs 1.14 crore was transferred to their bank accounts.
The spokesman said that the Agriculture Department purchased 399 metric tonnes of naturally grown maize from 1,509 farmers of 10 districts during the last season, and Rs 1.40 crore had been transferred to their accounts, thus ensuring them better prices.
He said that the Pangi Sub-Division of Chamba district had been declared as the natural farming division of the state, and the government would procure 40 metric tonnes of naturally grown barley at the rate of Rs 60 per kg from the farmers of the Pangi area from the last week of September.
He said the government had also been selling products of naturally grown crop under the ‘Him-Bhog’ brand in the market, which is becoming more popular day by day and consumers are coming forward to purchase the chemical-free products.
The spokesman said that to encourage farmers to adopt natural farming, the state government was providing training to the farmers so they could grow such crops in their fields. He added that till now, 3.06 lakh farmers have been provided training in the state. He said 38,437 hectares of land across 3,584 gram panchayats had been brought under natural farming, and over 2,22,893 farmers were growing various crops in the state.
The state government had set a target of engaging more than one lakh farmers to adopt this initiative during the current financial year. So far, 59,068 farmers and horticulturists from 88 Development Blocks had filled their registration forms.
He said the state government was offering a minimum support price to the naturally grown produce. Naturally grown wheat, maize, raw turmeric, and barley was being procured at the rates of Rs 60, Rs 40, Rs 90, and Rs 60 per kg respectively. This was not only ensuring chemical-free products for consumers but also providing remunerative prices to the farmers.
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