Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a conference on ‘natural farming’ on December 16, in which State governments are also scheduled to participate. The conference assumes significance in the backdrop of record chemical fertiliser consumption in 2020-21, and a substantial increase in subsidy following surge in global prices.
“The Prime Minister will participate and address in the conference on ‘natural farming’ on December 16 at 11 am. Request to join the programme by watching live on Doordarshan or in the nearest Kisan (Krishi) Vigyan Kendra, Union Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal tweeted.
So far, 43.38 lakh farmers have adopted organic/natural farming in 38.09 lakh hectares (lh) area. The Centre targets to raise 7.35 lh additional area under different schemes between 2022-23 and 2025-26.
Inaugurating the Saryu Nahar National Project in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh on December 11, Modi had invited farmers to join the “mega event” on natural farming.
“Our Padma awardee Subhashji, who is from Maharashtra, has developed an idea of zero budget farming. This is a natural farming project, due to which our mother earth and water is also saved and the crop is also good and the yield is better in quantity. I urge all my farmer friends all over the country to join this program on December 16 through TV or through Krishi Vigyan Kendra. I am sure you will come to know many things which you can implement in your farms and which will be very beneficial to you,” Modi said.
Last year, the country had record sales of fertiliser — 67 million tonnes (mt) ——and also an all time high import of about 21-22 mt, industry data show. The country’s foodgrains output, too, jumped to a record 308.65 mt and that of horticulture production to 331.05 mt during 2020-21 crop year (July-June).
The Centre’s fertiliser subsidy in FY22 may reach up to ₹1.5 lakh crore, 89 per cent more than the Budget estimate, after global prices touched an all-time high on rising demand for the crop nutrients in many countries including India.
Clearing all past arrears, the government had provided ₹1.34 lakh crore as fertiliser subsidy in the revised estimates for FY21, out of which actual subsidy (excluding arrear) was about ₹85,000-90,000 crore. The finance minister had allocated ₹79,529.68 crore in BE for FY22. But the Cabinet has already approved additional subsidy of ₹43,430 in two tranches over and above the BE.
The Centre has been promoting organic/natural farming through Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development in North East Region (MOVCDNER). For three years continuously, farmers get a total ₹31,000/ha under PKVY and ₹32,500/ha under MOVCDNER to meet input costs such as seeds, bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides, organic manure and compost/vermi-compost.
Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati (BPKP), a sub scheme of PKVY and started last year, promotes traditional indigenous practices including use of cow dung-urine formulations and plant-based preparations. Under BPKP, farmers get ₹12,200/ha for 3 years for cluster formation and capacity building.