New Delhi: The farmers expressed concerns as they have to face low produce issues during the initial years after shifting from chemical fertilizers to organic manures and biofertilizers. They sought the government’s support for the transforming phase.
Raising the concerning points, farmer Amarpal Singh of Uttar Pradesh told ETV Bharat, “Using organic manures and bio-fertilizers needs more manpower, labour and animal husbandry for getting bio-fertilizers which often seemed costly for small landholders and rented farmers.”
"Farmers have been using chemical fertilisers for a long time to get more yields. If we switch to organic manures at that condition we will get low produce in the initial years which will put a financial loss on us so we need government support to cope up with this situation," Singh said.
The defective practices of injudicious or excessive use of chemical fertilizers put an impact on soil which decreases organic carbon in soil. To address the issue, the government is implementing the Soil Health and Fertility Scheme to issue Soil Health Cards to farmers. SHC gives the details of organic carbon content in the soil and advisories are given to the farmers on Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) for judicious use of chemical fertilizers including secondary and micro-nutrients along with organic manures & bio-fertilizers, for improving soil organic carbon and health, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare informed.
Another farmer and horticulture expert Rakesh Kumar told ETV Bharat, “It is no doubt natural manure and bio-fertilizers are good for soil but the farmers have been using chemical fertilizers to get more agri produce as a result soil texture, moisture and natural nutrient and nitrogen got compromised in the soil. For using natural manure, farmers have to follow different ways to use manures like green manure, vermicomposting and biofertilizer which will help them to grow more produce.”
A farmer Birender Singh Bant of Bijnor told ETV Bharat, “Getting natural manure and biofertilizer is difficult without animal husbandry. Farmers need support for any level of change as they are not able to bear financial loss after getting low produce.”
As per the Ministry of Agriculture, assistance of Rs 15,000 per hectare for a period of three years is provided to farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer for on-farm/off-farm organic inputs majorly bio-fertilizers under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER).
The Union Cabinet also approved the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) on November 25 to promote farming practices such as biomass mulching, multi-cropping system, use of on-farm made natural farming bio-inputs for improving soil organic content, soil structure, nutrition, enhancing soil water holding capacity.
As per guidelines of the scheme, the states generate Soil Health Cards once in three years to address nutrient deficiencies in soil, till date, 24.60 crore SHCs have been generated across the country, the Ministry informed.
