HYDERABAD

The Telangana government has planned to introduce natural farming from the coming kharif season by encouraging farmers to take up farming in the natural farming methods in 61,125 acres under the National Mission on Natural Farming.

Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao interacted virtually with the farmers selected for taking up farming in natural methods on Tuesday (March 17) and learnt about their experiences with natural methods, if any, and their problems. He stated that natural farming was being encouraged in the mission mode as there was increasing demand for natural grown crops worldwide.

The Minister explained that it would be implemented in 489 clusters with a cost of ₹42 crore and the farmers selected for the mission would be first trained at some identified Rythu Vedikas. Two persons each with knowledge on natural farming and marketing would be appointed in every cluster to help the farmers and they would be paid a monthly honorarium of ₹5,000.

To make three basic requirements for taking up natural farming — ‘beejamrutham, jeevamrutham and dashaparni’ (bio inputs - pesticides and fertilizers) — the government would set up bio-input resource centres (BRCs) at a cost of ₹1 lakh each to help farmers who are not in a position to make them on their own.

The Minister stated that the 61,125 farmers selected for the mission were handed over farmers’ kits at Rythu Vedikas on Tuesday.