Organic farming yielding results in HP

Shimla, Nov 27: The Himachal Pradesh government's efforts to popularise bio-fertilisers in the state are bearing fruits with more and more farmers switching over to organic farming for enhancing the fertility of their land.

An official spokesman yesterday said the state's Agriculture Department had set up 27,000 vermi composting units till last year, while efforts were on to add another 15,000 during this financial year, as demand for organic manures, bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides, green manuring, vermi composting was increasing.

In order to demonstrate the technology, three departmental farms have been converted into organic demonstration farms and 5,657 farmers have so far been registered for the farming in 41 clusters and 645 villages of the state, he said.

He said central assistance has also been sought under National Project on Organic Farming and other schemes for organising large scale trainings, demonstrations and promotion of bio-fertilisers and vermi composting.

A trained manpower of 100 extension officers and 100 scientists has also been geared up to educate the farmers on the issue even as the state Agriculture University has already started research and development works on organic farming.

The technique was proving a boon for sustainable agriculture through better moisture conservation for crop production and it would also open new vistas of employment for the youth of the state, he added.

The spokesman said the government had already enforced strict control measures under the provision of Fertiliser (Control) Order to ensure that the farmers get quality manures and bio-fertilisers.

UNI