Incentives needed for farmers to adopt non-chemical fertilisers: Agri secy

There is a need for structuring a comprehensive and fool-proof set of incentives for farmers to voluntarily adopt non-chemical fertiliser-based farming practices, agriculture secretary Devesh Chaturvedi has said.

Addressing an event organised by policy research institute Pahl India Foundation (PIF), Chaturvedi, secretary in the Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, also suggested that natural farming need not to remain confined to a niche market and said it should be mainstreamed so as to make nutritional products available for the common people.

Also speaking at the event, former NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said that to achieve nutritional, ecological and health security, a paradigm shift in agriculture is necessary and rigorous empirical research is needed to establish the viability of non-chemical farming in this regard. 

 

Harpinder Sandhu of Federation University, Australia, and Aditi Rawat, PIF, presented a methodology for a pan-India study to assess the viability and scalability of regenerative farming across diverse agro-climatic zones. The study aims to generate scientific evidence to guide future policy and practices.

Other experts at the event also emphasised the urgent need for scientific data, scalable models, and stronger collaboration among researchers, government, and practitioners to accelerate adoption of regenerative farming across India's agro-climatic zones.