Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam   

Efforts to promote new concept in farming

Photo: D. Radhakrishnan

For rich yield: Natueco farmer Dipak Suchde addressing farmers and officials in Ooty on Saturday. —

Udhagamandalam: Many organic farmers and agriculture officials were on Saturday familiarised with an emerging concept called ‘Natueco farming’. The programme was organised under the aegis of the Ketti-based non-governmental organisation The Earth Trust in collaboration with the Horticulture Departments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Introducing the concept, Natueco promoter Dipak Suchde of Himachal Pradesh said that the concept would help farmers give up their age-old and traditional farm practices, which were no longer yielding the desired results.

Claiming that it consumed less water, he said that it provided more nutrition. It facilitated soil regeneration without depending too much on external inputs. Even usage of herbal pesticides can be avoided.

Claiming that switching over to the new concept would not entail any loss in production, he said that crops would not be hit by diseases. It can be adopted to grow any crop, including plantation, on any terrain.

The Assistant Director of Horticulture, A.J. Jagadeesh Kumar, said that the policy of the department was to promote new concepts like organic farming without jeopardising the food security of the people.

During the current year, it was proposed to bring about 600 acres under organic farming in the Nilgiris. The founder, The Earth Trust, Vanya Orr, welcomed the gathering.

Among the participants was the Head, Horticulture Research Station, N. Selvaraj.

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