'Most developed countries heavily lean on organic farming'
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, June 25 2015 : Speeding the process to transform the Ngairangbam Gram Panchayat into a Model Village, Lok Sabha MP Dr Th Meinya on Wednesday inaugurated a day-long training programme on 'Organic Farming' for selected 50 progressive farmers under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana at Koloipham High School in Khumbong village in Imphal West.

The training programme was organised by Regional Centre for Organic Farming (RCOF), Government of India, during which Ngairangbam village was chosen by the MP himself to develop as the 'model village' or Ngairambam Adarsh Gram.

With this, four villages have been chosen by three MPs from Manipur to develop them as model villages.

The programme was also attended by Yurembam Zilla Parishad Ch Bijenti, Ngairambam Gram Panchayat S Indubala Devi.

The said training aims to popularise the organic farming practices and its techniques and a farmer will be selected who will later demonstrate a tangible or visible outcome on the advantages and numerous benefits of organic farm products, according to JB Karmarkar of RCOF.

Karmarkar who also facilitated a session in the training said that the selected farmers will be performing the demonstration in a farmland measuring around 1 acre, in which half of the land will be planted crops through organic techniques and the remaining half of land in non-organic ways.

"This will show us the difference between the two (organic and non-organic) ways of agricultural practices", he said. Two experts from Central Agricultural University (CAU) Eroishemba and Entomology specialist Dr Chandra Sekhar from RCOF jointly facilitated the training session along with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Green Foundation, an NGO U Himmat.

CEO of Green Foundation who coordinated the day's training programme said that the organic farming is the best and most cost-effective farming method which is beneficial to growers as well as the consumer.

He added that the organic farm products are more delicious in taste and healthy for consumption as it uses organic manures and other agri-inputs without fertiliser and insecticide which have residual effects on consumers, plants and soil fertility.

Replying to a query, Himmat said though there are various unwarranted prejudices, myth and misconception surrounding organic farming in the State, most developed countries heavily lean on farming through organic methods and techniques.

Many farmers' prejudices that organic farming decreases productivity level is not true and many farmers also think that organic farming is complex which is not at all, Himmat said.

The major factor that prevents wide application of organic farming is due to lack of aggressive promotion by various stakeholders and agriculture and allied departments in the State, he felt.

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