'Excessive use of chemical fertilisers need to be avoided'

Steps should be taken to develop more grazing grounds for cattle and excessive use of chemical fertilisers need to be avoided, Agra Divisional Commissioner Pradeep Bhatnagar said here.
Bhatnagar said excessive use of chemical fertilisers was causing a lot of health problems and robbing the farm land of its fertility.
Use of cow dung manure, compost or vermi-compost could help promote organic farming in a big way, he said at a conference held here yesterday.
"The identity of Braj is forests and cows and both were under threat," said spiritual leader of Vrindavan Goswami Sri Vats.
The conference organised by Agra-based Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society in collaboration with Friends of Vrindavan, an NGO, at Jai Singh Ghera auditorium in Vrindavan last evening, was attended by several environmentalists, activists, gaushala owners and district officials.

Bhatnagar said tradition has to be integrated with modern techniques.
"Organic farming is the way to look ahead and to sustain it we need cattle wealth. The Braj area has many gaushalas and the number of cows exceed a lakh. The cow dung collected can enrich soil and reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers. We are therefore looking at various options to make Mathura district a model in the country in the promotion of cattle wealth," he added.