UP Government To Promote Organic Farming in Ganga Vicinity, Farmer’s Income To Uplift Soon

Highlights: 

• Farmers of UP to be provided with training, grains, and better equipment essential for organic farming.

• Ganga nurseries to be developed in every district and geo-tagging will be done for all the plants along the river to prevent their theft.

• The UP government will provide a fund of Rs.10 lakh every three years to each cluster for encouraging organic farming.

India ranks first in the number of organic farms and ninth in the terms of area under organic farming. The growth story of organic farming is unfolding with increasing demand in India. While the world has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for safe and healthy food is showing an upward trend. This is an opportunity to serve and earn for all our farmers and the consumers.

The Uttar Pradesh agriculture and horticulture departments along with the Jal Shakti department, have planned to turn a five-kilometer radius along both sides of the river Ganga into an organic farming belt. This process aims at giving the farmer’s a “new and diversified income platform”.

The remunerative decision will bring enormous benefits for farmers working on cultivations on either side of the river banks.

According to the plan, “the farmers and villages on both sides of the river will be encouraged to organic by discouraging the use of chemicals - fertilizers, insecticides, and pesticides - and will grow grains, fruits, flowers organically”.

Organic Yield To Promote Cleanliness of River Ganga

The state government in Uttar Pradesh has taken the pledge to clean the Ganges river. To focus on the aim, the government has decided to completely ban the use of chemical fertilizers in agricultural fields within a 5-km radius of Ganga. This process will also promote the techniques of organic cultivation and harvest here.

With the implementation of this ban, the Yogi government is looking forward to covering three goals simultaneously. The first goal is the cleanliness and protection of the river Ganga. The second is boosting farmer’s income and thirdly it will encourage the production of large quantities of organic crops in the state.

The spokesperson for the Jal Shakti ministry said, “Farmers will be provided with the necessary equipment at concessional prices, along with training and information for this. The departments are in the process of identifying organic crops, products and provide special markets for the scheme”.

Development of ‘Ganga Nursery’ In Every District

A senior officer of the Namami Gange Department has stated that besides prohibiting the use of chemical fertilizers, Peepal, Mango, Pakad (white fig), Jamun (black plum), and Banyan trees will be planted on both sides of the river. This step will help in avoiding soil erosion and degradation and also all encroachments on the banks of the Ganga will be razed in a campaign that will be launched. This will provide more cultivable land to the farmers.

The officer further added that a ‘Ganga Nursery’ will be developed in every district to implement the plantation of new trees on both sides of the river. Geo-tagging of all the trees would be done with the help of the forest department to avoid any kind of plant theft.

In addition to proper management of solid waste and disposal of garbage, the use of polythene will also be banned completely in villages along the Ganga river.

Renovation and beautification of ponds along the river are also part of the plan.