The Chhattisgarh state government invited former IAS officer and Andhra Pradesh government’s adviser, T Vijay Kumar, to encourage the farmers to take up organic farming.
Kumar, a retired IAS officer, is the co-vice chairman of Rythu Sadhikara Samastha, which is an initiative set up by the Andhra Pradesh administration for the sake of farmers’ empowerment, Times of India reports.
He is credited for having conceptualized organic farming in the southern state and shared the experiences of the same in Chhattisgarh. The former bureaucrat elaborated on the process of increasing the crop yield and paddy productivity by nine per cent at a decreased cost.
Kumar praised the Chhattisgarh government for providing subsidized electricity to farmers and mentioned that organic farming conserves soil microbes whilst reducing the usage of additional fertilizers.
Ajay Singh, vice-chairman of the state planning commission, suggested for the implementation of the organic farming technology as a pilot project.
He mentioned that by using cow dung, cow urine and natural manures, commendable work has been done in organic farming in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh. This resulted in a reduction in cost of agriculture too.
Pradeep Sharma, the adviser of chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, stated that the degree of success of natural farming depends on the community participation of farmers.