The Indian Council of Agricultural Research also imparts trainings, organizes front-line demonstrations, awareness programs etc. to educate farmers on organic farming, through network of Krishi Vigyan Kendras, the minister said.
The government is implementing the “PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth (PM-PRANAM)” to incentivise states and union territories to promote the use of alternative fertilizers such as organic and bio-fertilizers for improving soil health and fertility and sustainable productivity, the union minister of state for agriculture and farmers’ welfare Ramnath Thakur in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Under the programme, state governments will be incentivized to the tune of 50 per cent of fertiliser subsidy saved for promotion of organic and natural farming and organic fertilizers.
The government is encouraging the balanced use of fertiliser in conjunction with the application of organic and biofertilisers on soil test based recommendation, the minister said, adding that government has also announced market development assistance at the rate of Rs 1,500 per metric ton for fermented organic manure and liquid fermented organic manure use of organic fertilisers.
The government is promoting organic farming on priority in the country since 2015-16 for improving soil health and water retention through the schemes of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana in all the states other-than North Eastern States that are covered under the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region. Both the schemes stress on end-to-end support to farmers engaged in organic farming – i.e. from production to processing, certification and marketing and post-harvest management training and capacity building and also focus on sustainable agriculture.
A total assistance of Rs. 31,500 per ha for a period of three years is provided for promotion of organic farming under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana scheme, the minister said. He explained that this support is meant to cover different components like training and capacity building, data management, participatory guarantee system- India certification, value addition, marketing and publicity. Of this, the assistance of Rs. 15,000 per ha for a period of three years is provided to farmers through direct bank transfer for on- farm /off –farm organic inputs.
A total assistance of Rs. 46,500/ha is provided for to farmers in the North-East under Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region for three years for the creation of Farmers Producer Organisations (FPs). The support also covers assistance to farmers for organic inputs, quality seeds and planting material and training, hand holding and certification. Out of this, assistance, a sum of Rs. 32,500/ ha is provided to farmers for off -farm /on –farm organic inputs for three years. This includes Rs. 15,000 as direct bank transfer to the farmers and Rs. 17,500 for the planting material to be given to the farmers by the state lead agency in kind.
The minister said that the National Centre of Organic and Natural Farming and its Regional Centre of Organic and Natural Farming located at Ghaziabad, Nagpur, Bangalore, Imphal and Bhubaneswar are organizing various HRD trainings namely One Day Farmers’ Training, Two Days Training for Extension Officers/Staff, two days trainings on Participatory Guarantee System- India, 30 days certificate course, one day Jaivik evam Prakratik Kisan Sammelan for 500 participants, a one day stakeholder consultations/ conferences on natural farming for 100 participitants, orientation program on natural farming and awareness programmes across the country to disseminate information on organic and natural farming as well as on- farm production and use of various kinds of organic and bio-fertilizers.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research also imparts trainings, organizes front-line demonstrations, awareness programs etc. to educate farmers on organic farming, through network of Krishi Vigyan Kendras, the minister said in the Lok Sabha.
