Minister Atul Bora urges assimilation of scientific technology with natural farming

STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati: A one day workshop on ‘National Mission on Natural Farming’ was organized by the Department of Agriculture, Assam in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare at Assam Administrative Staff College, Guwahati today.

On the occasion, Agriculture Minister Atul Bora spoke about farming methods, and said that farmers in many areas of north-eastern states, including Assam, have not used fertilizers, pesticides and other synthetic chemicals.

Bora added that in the hilly areas, especially the tribal farmers have been practicing natural farming traditionally for generations. These farmers now only need scientific techniques compatible with their traditional farming so that they can boost up their production.

Referring to the adverse impact of climate change on the agricultural sector around the world, Agriculture Minister Bora urged the agriculture officers to focus on sustainable agricultural production system to avoid the irreversible impacts on the agro-ecosystem. In his speech, Bora, highlighting the threat to human health caused by indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture field, urged the Assam Agricultural University and other agricultural research institutes of north eastern states to provide proper technical guidance to the farmers in organic and natural farming.

Highlighting the different steps initiated by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to make Assam a leading agricultural state by increasing the income of small and marginal farmers, Minister Bora said that since most of the farmers in the state are marginal, practicing natural farming system will be more profitable for them as the cost of production of chemical based farming system is rising day by day.

The minister also appeals to the scientists of Assam Agricultural University to pay attention to create a more holistic, sustainable, safe management production system on natural farming. Anant Lal Gyani, Secretary and Director of Agriculture, Assam Vandana Dwivedi, Advisor, Natural Farming and Rachana Kumar, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India, Dr Gagnesh Sharma, Director, National Centre for Organic and Natural Farming, Gaziabad, Triranga Bharatiya Bora, Director of Horticulture and FP, Assam and other officials of Government of India and Northeastern states were present in the workshop.

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