Minister Biswajit pitches for natural farming
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, November 30 2023:
Asserting that the state has high prevalence rare of cancer and other lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, for which toxic chemicals are considered to be contributing factors, agriculture minister Th Biswajit has called for giving up chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides, and opting for organic and natural farming for a healthy living.
The minister, on Thursday, launched seed sowing of mustard and rapeseed plants for edible oil production at Lourembam and Ukhongsang villages in Thoubal district as part of the department's initiative to compensate farmers for the loss of crop due to rainfall deficit or current crisis, and also to promote year-round farming practice among farmers.
Agriculture director N Gojendro and other officials of the department also attended the programme, which was launched by the minister by sowing mustard seed.
The campaign covers 15 hectares of paddy field.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister informed that the initiative was taken up as a way of providing alternative means to farmers under the instruction of the chief minister.
The department will bore two tube wells in the area to provide irrigation water in these fields, he assured, while asking the farmers tb identify the sites and inform the department accordingly.
The minister also expressed concern over the increased prevalence of cancer, diabetes and other lifestyle diseases, and said that consumption of foods grown with use of toxic chemicals, especially chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides are posing serious threat to health.
He appealed to the farmers to opt for organic or natural farming while adding that' organic farmers can get their share of subsidy on urea as cash if they opt for organic farming and do not use urea.