The mango that broke a market
It is peak mango season in India. The Alphonso harvest is at its richest, the Kesar at its most fragrant.
Batting for organic farming as an effective antidote for climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the country is on the path of becoming the global hub for natural farming.
“Natural farming is India’s own indigenous idea, rooted in our traditions and suited to our environment. It counters the adverse effects of climate change and with our youth turning towards agriculture, recognising it as a modern and scalable opportunity, the country is on the path of becoming the global hub of organic farming,” he said, inaugurating the three-day South India Natural Farming Summit and launching the transfer of Rs 18,000 crore to 9 crore farmers under the 21st instalment of the PM Kisan Scheme at Coimbatore.
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Turning pro-organic, the Prime Minister said, “Natural farming is close to my heart and the Union Government is promoting it with required policy initiatives. The impact of the initiatives is very much visible, particularly in the South. In Tamil Nadu alone 35 lakh hectares are under natural farming,” asking farmers to practice natural farming on an acre of land for one season and praised the water management technology of this part of the country.
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On the increased use and dependence on chemical fertilisers and pesticides which turn the soil infertile and depleting moisture, Modi emphasised the need to reclaim soil fertility and crop health so that posterity is given land that is not barren. Welcoming the southern states turning to traditional pesticides like panchagavya, he advocated crop diversification with millets and cited the multi-storey farming practice in the hilly regions of Kerala and Karnataka.
“It was tinai (yellow foxtail millet) flour and honey, offered to Lord Muruga, the hugely popular Tamil god. Kambu (pearl millet) and Samai (little millet) were part of the traditional diet in Tamil Nadu while it was ragi in Kerala and Karnataka besides other millets,” he pointed out and called for multi-culture in raising crops rather than mono-cultivation. Expressing the desire that the chemical-free produce should reach global markets, he assured state support.
On his interaction with the farmers at the exhibition, organised as part of the conference, Modi said, some of the youth who had studied engineering have plunged into natural farming and one of them had left the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to take up farming. This offered great hope, he added.
When the farmers waved the green towel to greet him on arrival, an excited Prime Minister, fresh from the stunning electoral victory in Bihar, said “I see the winds of Bihar blowing here as well. At the exhibition some farmers took selfies with Modi.
Earlier, on his arrival at Coimbatore he was received among others by BJP state president Nainar Nagendran, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and Tamil Maanila Congress president GK Vasan.
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