New Delhi, NFAPost: The government has come up with an initiative to promote natural farming or organic farming through Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati (BPKP).
Ministry of Agriculture has announced the programme as a sub scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) for the promotion of traditional indigenous practices including Natural Farming.
The scheme mainly emphasizes on exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs and promotes on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass mulching, use of cow dung-urine formulations and other plant-based preparations.
Under BPKP, financial assistance of Rs 12200/ha for 3 years is provided for cluster formation, capacity building and continuous handholding by trained personnel, certification and residue analysis.
Until now, under natural farming an area of 4.09 lakh ha area has been covered and a total fund of Rs. 4980.99 lakh has been released to 8 States across the country.
It is also important to note that the government is implementing dedicated organic farming schemes of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development in North East Region (MOVCDNER) since 2015-16 to encourage farmers to produce organic manure and to promote organic farming of foodgrains in the country.
Under these schemes, farmers are primarily encouraged to adopt organic cultivation using organic inputs and support is provided to the farmers for various components from production to value addition, certification and marketing of organic produce. Hands-on training to farmers for on-farm production of organic manure/ organic fertilisers and its use are integral part of these schemes.
Farmers are provided assistance of Rs 31000/ ha / 3 years under PKVY and Rs 32500/ ha/ 3 years under MOVCDNER for various organic inputs including on-farm production/procurement of organic fertilisers. An amount of Rs 650 crores has been approved for promotion of organic farming for the year 2021-22.
