Over 2 lakh farmers engaged in natural farming, 38,437 hectares under cultivation in Himachal

Himachal Pradesh’s natural farming initiative is showing strong results, with 2,22,893 farmers cultivating crops on 38,437 hectares of land across 3,584 panchayats.
The state is also offering the highest Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the country for produce grown through natural methods.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has prioritised natural farming as a means to strengthen the rural economy.

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So far, 3.06 lakh farmers and horticulturists have been trained in natural farming practices. The government has also set a target to bring one lakh additional farmers into this initiative by 2025-26. Already, 59,068 farmers from 88 development blocks have submitted registration forms with the Agriculture Department.

“Strengthening the rural economy is our priority. In the past two and a half years, we have introduced several schemes to empower farmers, increase their income, and improve their living standards. Nearly 90 percent of Himachal Pradesh’s population lives in villages, and agriculture is their primary occupation. Our policies are designed to ensure money reaches rural households,” said the Chief Minister.

The state government is currently providing MSP of Rs 40 per kg for maize, Rs 60 for wheat, Rs 90 for raw turmeric, and Rs 60 for barley grown in Pangi region under natural farming.

To further support farmers, a Natural Farming-Based Sustainable Food System has been launched, under which Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) are being established with equal funding from the government and NABARD. So far, seven FPCs have been set up.

Products cultivated naturally are being promoted under the ‘Him-Bhog’ brand to assure consumers of nutritious and chemical-free food.

Last season, the government procured 399 metric tonnes of maize from 1,509 farmers in 10 districts, disbursing Rs 1.40 crore. This year, 2,123 quintals of wheat were purchased from 10 districts, with Rs 1.31 crore transferred directly to farmers. In addition, 127.2 quintals of raw turmeric were procured from six districts, for which farmers received Rs 11.44 lakh.

To ensure transparency, the government has introduced the Certified Evaluation Tool for Agriculture Resource Analysis-Natural Farming (CETARA-NF), a self-certification system under which 1,96,892 farmers have already been certified. With these measures, Himachal Pradesh is emerging as a national model in natural farming, drawing attention from agricultural scientists, researchers, and policymakers across the country.