HP govt to promote organic farming

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to promote organic farming in a big way and plans to adopt an integrated approach for promoting organic and zero budget natural farming system, an official spokesperson said.

At present, 39,790 farmers ave already switched over to organic farming ensuring production of healthy food grains, free from harmful chemical ingredients.

The state government has introduced 'Prakritik Kheti Khushhaal Kisaan Yojana' to enhance agricultural income by adopting low-cost climate-resilient Zero Budget Natural Farming System (ZBNF), the spokesperson said.

He said this system would not only improve soil fertility, water infiltration but also discourage use of fertilizers and pesticides and reduce environment pollution.

A state-level committee headed by the chief minister would monitor the implementation and progress under ZBNF.

Mass awareness programmes will be organised to educate farmers about organic farming, the spokesperson said.