NITI Aayog wants states to adopt zero-budget natural farming

States can promote ZBNF under the two farm sector schemes - Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar on Monday made a case for promoting zero-budget natural farming (ZBNF) in states, saying it would help double farmers’ income by 2022.

Aayog member Ramesh Chand, who is an expert in agriculture, said that such methods could be scaled up nationally only after they have been scientifically proven to be correct and there is proper manual for these. Under ZBNF, neither fertiliser nor pesticide is used and only 10 per cent of water is to be utilised for irrigation as compared to traditional farming techniques.