Prince Charles appeals Indian farmers to join organic club

Washington, Oct 7 : Prince Charles of UK has appealed to the Indian farmers to adopt organic farming, with a view to mitigate the ongoing climate change.

According to a report in ENN (Environmental News Network), Charles said that worldwide organic farming has proved to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the extent of 35 percent, both directly and indirectly.

The Prince of Wales delivered the statement in the Albert Howard lecture to an Indian audience through video-conferencing.

He negated the myth that turning back to organic farming would result in lowering production and productivity.

Charles said that worldwide experiences have shown that it has lead to increased production and productivity.

The ecological gains were enormous with lesser use of water, increased soil fertility, environment free from chemical contamination and disease-free health for farmers.

According to Charles, organic farming was in the interests of smallholders.

He was disappointed with the unfortunate fact that chemical agriculture, which was about 100-year old, has come to be known as "conventional agriculture", while the fact remains that it was industrial agriculture.

He also criticized the genetically modified (GM) crops as not capable of resolving the food security issue.

"There are reports of GM crops causing health and environmental hazards. We want the world to be GM-free," he said.

He said that there was a growing market for organic food as consumers were gradually becoming aware of its benefits.

ANI