Sonowal tasks experts with feasibility report on organic farming in NE

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked an expert group of academicians and agri-entrepreneurs to draw up a report on the feasibility of organic and natural farming in the Northeast that can serve as a roadmap for future policymaking.

He also stressed on the need for promoting sustainable farming by combining traditional practices with modern technology, an official statement said.

Sonowal, the Union Minister of AYUSH, was apprised about the existing types of farming and their economic as well as ecological viability at a meeting with an expert group here on Sunday to explore the possibility of an agriculture-driven growth, especially for the farming community of the Northeast, it said.

Various aspects of inorganic, organic and natural farming were discussed and assessed from a sustainable and economic perspective of the region, it added.

It was stressed that the growth arising out of agriculture must satiate both the ecological and economical needs of the region and its people.

The team of experts was led by Bidyut Deka, the vice-chancellor of Assam Agriculture University (AAU).

Sonowal told the expert group to prepare a comprehensive report on the feasibility of organic and natural farming so that it becomes a roadmap and approach for any future policy-related discussion at the highest level of the government.

The report will be prepared under the aegis of the AAU with highlights of successful agri-preneurs of the state involved in organic as well as natural farming and comparative examination of the Northeast, the statement said.

"The use of modern technology and expert techniques must be done so as to reap the benefits of farming in our region," Sonowal said.

"We must learn from our roots and adopt modern techniques so that we can achieve sustainable development. It must respect the ecological balance of our region and at the same time attain economic prosperity for our farming community," he added.

Sonowal said that there is a huge opportunity for the farming community of the region to avail benefits and become an important stakeholder in expanding the AYUSH-based industries.