Over 2 Lakh Farmers In Himachal Pradesh Practising Natural Farming And Earning A Sustainable Livelihood

According to officials, more than 2 lakh farmers are practising the methods of natural farming on nearly 38,437 hectares of land and earning a sustainable livelihood in Himachal Pradesh. Notably, the state govt. has trained more than 3 lakh farmers and horticulturists in natural farming and set an objective to gather 1 lakh new farmers in the initiative by 2025-26, as stated by officials.
Around 59,068 farmers and horticulturists from 88 development blocks have submitted registration forms in the agriculture department so far.

What did CM Sukhu say concerning Natural farming and sustainable livelihood?

While promoting the agenda of natural farming and sustainable livelihood, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said: “ Over 90 per cent of the state's population lives in villages, and agriculture is their primary occupation and strengthening the rural economy is our priority. In the past two and a half years, we have introduced several schemes to empower farmers, increase their income, and improve their living standards. Not only this, but the Himachal Pradesh government is also providing the highest Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the output produced through natural farming. For instance, at present, the state government is providing MSP of Rs 40 per kg for maize, Rs 60 per kg for wheat, Rs 90 per kg for raw turmeric, and Rs 60 per kg for barley (from the Pangi region) grown through natural farming so that farmers can earn a sustainable livelihood.

State Govt. promotes natural products through the Him-Bhog brand

Interestingly, under the 'Him-Bhog' brand, the state government is promoting output grown through natural farming, making sure that consumers receive nutritious and chemical-free products.

Furthermore, the statement added that the government has introduced an innovative self-certification system, Certified Evaluation Tool for Agriculture Resource Analysis-Natural Farming (CETARA-NF), to ensure transparency in the sale of natural produce, in which 1,96,892 farmers have already received certification.