Even as the Himachal Pradesh government had adopted the natural farming technique (conceptualized by Subhash Palekar, a Padma Shree awardee, three years back) the stage is now set to implement the technique in the entire country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement to implement natural farming technique in the entire country in his address to the nation on 19 November 2021. Taking a step ahead, the Prime Minister will now address the farmers on natural farming on the last day of three-day Pre-Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2021, on 16 December, 2021. The PM’s programme will start at 11.50 AM and around 72,000 farmers from Himachal Pradesh will listen to his address virtually. The State Project Implementing Unit (SPIU) has made all preparations for this with the help of Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) to facilitate farmers in every Panchayat of the state.
Himachal Pradesh will share information on implementation of ‘Prakritik Kheti Khushal Kisan’ Yojana and future strategies at the Summit. Executive Director, Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana, Professor, Rajeshwar Singh Chandel will make a presentation on best practices of natural farming in Himachal Pradesh at Pre-Vibrant Gujarat Summit. He will speak about various aspects of natural farming in a session. Professor Rajeshwar Singh Chandel said that it is a proud moment that the initiative taken by the tiny hill state of Himachal Pradesh is now getting national recognition. He said so far 1,64,756 farmers have been trained in the natural farming technique in Himachal, out of which 1,53,643 farmers/orchardists have adopted this technique on over one lakh bigha (9,192 hectare) land. He said it is a matter of pride for all of us that the small state of Himachal has got a platform in a big event like the Pre-Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
