Haryana plan to promote organic farming

Chandigarh, May 30 (UNI) In order to promote organic farming in the state, the Haryana government has launched a new scheme under which farmers would be given assistance to adopt organic farming.

A spokesman for the Horticulture Department said that under the scheme the farmers would be encouraged to adopt organic farming system and would be educated about vermin-compost units, organic farming and their certification.

During the current financial year, a provision of over Rs 26 lakh had been made under the scheme which would be implemented in Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Rewari and Mahendergarh districts, he added.

He said that due to residual effects of excess use of fertilisers and chemicals, the scientists had shifted their focus of production of agriculture crops from inorganic based agricultural production to organic based production especially in horticulture crops.

Therefore, there was an urgent need to promote organic based production system to minimise the excessive use of the inorganic fertilizer, to educate the farmers and field staff regarding control of insects or pests and diseases by organic means so as to improve the health and economic status of the rural masses, he said.

It would also help in keeping the environment, soil and water free from pollution of inorganic matter, which was harmful for human and animal beings, he added.

Under the scheme, assistance to the tune of 50 per cent was proposed at a rate of Rs 10,000 per hectares. Farmers would be encouraged to adopt construction of vermin-compost units and 50 per cent assistance of Rs 30,000 per unit was proposed for this purpose.

A subsidy of 100 per cent was proposed for organic certification to a group of farmers covering an area of 25 hectares.

UNI