Farmers need to unite and fight for bringing transparency in organic farming in Uttarakhand – Dr. Khuksal

Uttarakhand is an agriculture dominated state where majority of its inhabitants draw their surviving income through farming. The state’s majority part is hilly and 65 % area dominated by forests.

Uttarakhand’s agriculture is dependent on rains. There is negligible use of chemical manure in farming in Uttarakhand.

Keeping in view the tremendous possibility of organic farming, the then government of Uttarakhand in 2003 has taken a decision to do hundred percent organic farming in the hilly areas and fifty percent in the plains of Uttarakhand.

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The detailed roadmap on organic farming via publication of its Road Map directory was brought out in the year 2003 after indepth consultations by the agriculture division and Uttarakhand Organic production Council.

According to the Road Map on Organic Farming the basic and main objective was to make Uttarakhand agriculturally dependent, pollution free, healthy and self reliant Uttarakhand.

Not only will the organic farming through the use of local resources (organic fossils) at the decentralised village level make it quite cheaper, but it will also provide employment to the local youths.

These views were expressed by Dr. Rajendra Khuksal, expert , Agriculture and horticulture, Uttarakhand on organic farming in Uttarakhand.

According to Dr. Khuksal in order to enhance the the growing manure capacity of the farms in the plains of Uttarakhand due arrangements were made to distribute green seeds ( Dhaincha beej) to the farmers engaged in organic farming.

As a sequel to their ongoing efforts and healthy initiatives to promote organic farming on large scale Dr. Khuksal said that educated youngsters in every development blocks were appointed as the master trainer.

This was significantly necessary to impart adequate training and knowledge about organic farming.

According to Dr Khuksal in order to enable make the bio agents available to be used in organic farming in Garhwal region, the responsibility was assigned to Rani Chaura Campus, Tehri Garhwal under Pant Nagar university’s jurisdiction and for Kumaon region alloted to Pant Nagar agricultural university.

In addition to this, it was also ensured that the local social organisations would be given responsibility to asses the results of the production in organic farming including giving them opportunity to distribute the organic produce in open internal and external markets. The basic idea and purpose behind this concept is to eradicate poverty through organic farming.

Dr. Khuksal said that the current government has taken a decision to develop ten thousand clusters to execute organic farming on large scale in Uttarakhand which is definitely a welcome decision worth appreciating said Dr. Khuksal.

He added that in the initial years somework had definitely been execued in the context of organic farming as per the directions of the Road Map on organic farming by some youths from the employment point of view by producing the Vermi manure or Compost manure, the rates of which were fixed by govt for the Nyay Panchayats in addition to their use by the state firms etc.

But unfortunately due to the negligence and non interest by the concerned departments allegedly gripped in corruption , the local youths involved in manure production gave up producing organic manure.

As a result, at present, the meaning of Organic Farming is to purchase low quality organic ( green) seeds, organic manure and drugs from firms via tendering in plains ( Kashipur, Rudrapur etc) thus to spend the allocated government budget.

This in a way is not serving the actual purpose of organic farming as directed in the road map directory on Organic farming said Dr. Khuksal.

According to an agriculture expert no progressive farmer uses these organic seeds, drugs and manure sold by these government departments.

Going into the details of the governmental efforts to develop the traditional organic farming Dr. Khuksal said that in 2017 the prime minister sanctioned Rs 1500 crore under traditional agricultural farming development scheme in Uttarakhand in order to conserve and upkeep the indigenous and local seeds to further market the organic produce with special branding in open markets.

In order to promote and encourage the farmers engaged in organic farming especially the poor ones, there is also a proposal to help them financially through DBT.

The prime minister is committed to ensure that the farmer getting financial support through the above scheme should directly be deposited in their respective bank accounts.

The ministry of Agriculture and agriculture development ministry had on February, 2017 through its order instructed every state government to ensure deposition of financial support to farmers in their respected accounts directly added Dr.Khuksal.

But despite all this while the farmers of Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have got their financial aids in their bank accounts, in the context of Uttarakhand it has not happened, keeping the farmers devoid of financial help.

Expressing his disenchantment over the non implementation of the Prime minister’s worth Rs1500 crore traditional farming scheme in Uttarakhand, Dr. Khuksal said, till the farmers of our state will not fight unitedly, demanding transparency in the farm sector and its organic farming policies, the loot in farm schemes will continue to exist.

It may be recalled that the 2003 scheme to generate and develop organic farming and associate local youths to get employment including financially empowering the poor n small farmers of border villages is unfortunately today in total jeopardy due the organise mafia being active.

While on the one hand the Himachal Pradesh government is giving tremendous impetus, encouragement to organic farming by making it transparent and job oriented with zero budget by adopting Subhash Palekar Natural Farming n making him the ambassador of organic farming in HP in Uttarakhand unfortunately despite the introduction of a consolidated road map on Organic farming in 2003, the organised corruption mafia has taken it in their grip leading to its total loot says eminent agricultural n horticulture expert Dr. Rajendra Khuksal.