Hamirpur, Feb 27 (UNI) As a result of the state government’s special efforts to promote natural farming, many farmers are not only producing safe food for themselves but also significantly increasing their income by abandoning chemical fertilisers and toxic pesticides and using only cow dung or homemade materials in their fields.
Sheela Devi, a retired teacher from Bari Brahmana village of Bhukkad Gram Panchayat in Bhoranj subdivision, and her family have demonstrated this.
Sheela Devi and her family had been cultivating wheat, maize, and paddy traditionally on their land. This yield was very low. The use of chemical fertilisers was also increasing their expenses.
Seeing this, Sheela Devi decided to cultivate potatoes using natural methods. For the first time, she sowed 5 kilograms of potatoes. She used only cow dung manure, resulting in a yield of approximately four and a half quintals. Encouraged by this, Sheela Devi decided to cultivate potatoes on a large scale and even hired some labourers.
Last season alone, she harvested several quintals of potatoes from just about one bigha of land. Sheela Devi explained that she did not use any chemical fertilisers or pesticides in her fields and achieved good yields without irrigation facilities.
Sheela Devi says that the state government is promoting natural farming on a large scale, which is very commendable. This farming not only provides safe food grains but also reduces the cost of farming. This type of farming is beneficial for the farmer.
She explained that previously, potato cultivation was not practised in her area, but seeing her family’s success, other farmers in the village are also being inspired to adopt this type of farming.
Notably, the state government is promoting natural farming on a large scale. The state government has set separate high prices for maize, wheat, and turmeric produced through natural farming.
The state government is purchasing maize grown through this method at the rate of Rs 40 per kilogram, wheat at Rs 60 and raw turmeric at Rs 90 per kilogram.
