Elaborating on the ill-effects of burning up the farmland refuse, Modi said, “We see that when heated, mud becomes a brick. It is so strong that a building can be made with it. But burning the remains of crops has become a sort of tradition,” he said, adding that experts too are of the opinion that fire reduces the fertility of farmlands.
In his online address, the PM said that the world was going back to the basics, attempting to reattach to the roots and farmers know very well how to achieve this. “21st century Indian farmers are going to lead the ‘Life, Lifestyle for Environment’ mission,” said Modi, mentioning that he had given a call to make it a global mission.
The PM said that though the use of chemical fertilizers played a key role in the green revolution, we must work on finding their alternatives. Now is the right time to take steps in this direction, he said.
Modi said that natural farming can help in improving the financial condition of farmers. He suggested that each panchayat should attempt to have one village that is involved in natural farming.
Ancient texts written by sages have given us valuable insights and understanding of agriculture, the PM said. He also stressed on combining ancient wisdom with modern technology to get the best results.
Union minister for home affairs and cooperatives Amit Shah said that the ministry of cooperation was working to ensure that farmers adopt natural farming. He said that work had been started to ensure that such farmers get the right price, access to global markets and establish brands. “The task is to supply certified organic products with a brand name to the international market.
The Ministry of Cooperation is making efforts to set up a network of laboratories in the country which will certify not only organic products, but also certify that land in which they were grown is also chemical fertiliser-free,” Shah said, adding that soil testing laboratories will be established in two states within a year.
Governor Acharya Devvrat, CM Bhupendra Patel
and other dignitaries too addressed the the conclave held at the conclusion of the 3-day Pre-Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit held at the Anand Agricultural University (AAU).
Source: The Times Of. India