Overuse of chemical fertilisers causing ill-effects: Shah tells farmers

Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday urged farmers to launch a “new green revolution” by adopting natural farming methods.

The minister said overuse of chemical fertilisers is turning the farmland infertile and, therefore, adoption of natural farming methods is vital to restore land quality, increase agricultural production and make farmers prosperous.

Shah was addressing farmers after launching the logo of the Gujarat government’s initiative for natural farming, its mobile application and e-vans to market the produce grown using natural farming methods through a chain of farmer producer organisations (FPOs).

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recognised chemical fertilisers as a major crisis, and started looking for options to stop its use while also aiming to increase agriculture production, reduce water consumption and bring prosperity for cultivators.

“Let us launch a new green revolution through natural farming, which preserves and conserves the land for the next many years instead of damaging it. To achieve this, natural farming is the only way out,” he said in his video interaction with the farmers of Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, which he represents.

The minister said that natural farming, which finds a mention in old texts, is important for the country’s future.

“Natural farming is vital for India today, but I can certainly see that the entire world will have to accept the natural farming methods initiated by our country. The entire world will have to accept the importance of desi cow [which plays a major role in the natural farming process],” he said.

The FPOs in Gujarat will act as a bridge between consumers and farmers. These organisations will take the farm produce to consumers after certification. This will be the first such system in the country, he said.

“Due to the overuse of chemical fertilisers, India’s farmland is turning infertile and chemicals have seeped underground,” Shah said, adding that this will increase the number of people suffering from cancer in the coming years.