Amidst concerns over the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, organic farmers who won prizes in recognition of their innovations came together here to share their success stories.
At a seminar organised at Shozhamadevi village, the farmers said chemical fertilizers and pesticides had done more harm than good to the soil.
Only a few years ago they switched to organic farming. “But the damage caused has been quite heavy as the soil had lost its nutrients,” said K. Kannan, president of the Melanikuli Agriculture Club, who has set up an exclusive club comprising seven groups with 170 organic farmers in the villages of Melanikuli, Pappakudi and Vennankuli.
The members of the club, one of the outstanding bio-farming clubs to receive a special award, said the farmers had systematically got rid of the adverse impact of the pesticides from their fields.
“We cultivated casuarina for a period of three years, as the species has the capacity to absorb and neutralise the effects of application of chemical fertilizers,” said V. Murugan, secretary of the club.
After harvesting the casuarina in 2004, the club members took to organic farming to raise various vegetables. They displayed a few bio vegetables grown by them at the exhibition, organised as part of the seminar.
Women farmers who raised bio nurseries in Siluvaipuram near here, who also received special awards, said the organic farming methods yielded good quality vegetables, although it involved extra labour in terms of crop protection.
“We have to apply vermi compost and other bio manure periodically,” they said. K. Valli, leader of the team, said that the conservation of nutrients in the top soil was a major advantage of organic farming.
S. Natarajan, Vice Chancellor of Gandhigram Rural University, said the State government should implement the organic cultivation policy recommended by the university.
“The soil is ruined and it is high time the policy is implemented without delay,” he said.
Pancha kavya
He explained the efficacy of pancha kavya , which could control pests to a great extent in crops.
Organic farmers should come together to float companies so that apart from production, they could also market their produce collectively, he suggested.
