Punjab to be number one in organic farming, says CM Prakash Singh Badal
CM likens organic farming to freedom struggle; praises heroes who are ‘saving the nation’
5th National Organic Convention charts a new path for Organic farming in Punjab and Haryana
Chandigarh, 2nd March: Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal today likened organic farming to ‘saving the nation’ and said Punjab would be number one in organic farming in the country. “We were number one in feeding the country, and we will make Punjab number one in organic farming in India,” said the CM to thundering applause while speaking at the closing ceremony of the three-day 5th National Organic Farming Convention here.
“You people,” said Badal, addressing hundreds of organic farmers in a packed auditorium, “are the heroes of this new struggle to save the nation. I have witnessed the freedom struggle myself and the zeal and commitment this takes.”
The Chief Minister referred to Punjab’s disastrous experience with chemical-intensive farming following the Green Revolution, and spoke about how his state had sacrificed everything it had in the process. “In our state, we consider the air as our guru, water our father and earth as our mother. And we have sacrificed all three for the sake of feeding the country at one point,” he said.
“Now, other states have become self-reliant, and it is time we made a move towards organic farming,” he said, emphasising his conviction that organic was the way ahead. “The disastrous impact of chemical-intensive farming on people’s health alone is reason enough for making the shift,” he noted.
Praising the span and depth of discussions at the convention, he said such gatherings must be organised in every village across the state. “Farmers must be convinced that organic farming offers as much income and profit as chemical-intensive agriculture. Every village must have a demo plot that can provide farmers with proof of this. We will facilitate such plots through the local panchayats,” he said.
Underlining the need for proper marketing in enabling fair prices for organic produce, Badal said his government would work towards providing organic farmers with shops in urban areas.
The CM promised all possible assistance to popularise organic farming, and declared that he would meet a smaller group (from among the organisers of the convention) in the near future to discuss the best way forward. “I will also direct my office to create a board comprising representatives of organic farmers and experts who will advise the government on policies,” he said, bringing to a close the proceedings of the three-day fifth National Organic Farming Convention organised by the Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI), the National Institute of Technical Teachers’ Training (NITTTR), the Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) and the Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM).
More than 2,500 delegates comprising practicing farmers, seed savers, ecologists, scientists, policy makers, non-governmental and community organizations from 22 states participated in the convention, apart from participants from various foreign countries.
Speaking before the Chief Minister at the closing ceremony, Umendra Dutt, Executive Director, Kheti Virasat Mission stated that convention was organised in the region seeing the critical situation of farming and farmers in Punjab and Haryana. “The convention has proved that Punjab and Haryana have the potential to reverse the destruction of land, water and biodiversity brought about through intensive farming with large doses of agro-chemicals and mindless irrigation, and become beacons in ecological farming” said Dutt.
Dr Claude Alvares, founder Director of OFAI, said, “Sessions on science and experience over the past three days show that organic farming is the best way forward to sustain agriculture in our country while producing enough food, fibre and fodder for all. This convention has shown the world the best knowledge and capabilities that India has on this front. Organic farming is the need of the hour and this is more so in the case of Northern states.”
Kavitha Kuruganti, convenor ASHA, while presenting the summary of the three days of the convention reiterated that organic farming is “not an alternative but the only path through which food, farming and freedom can be sustained in our country”.
The convention included scientific and technical sessions at the NITTTR, apart from a Nature Festival that included a Kisan Haat or Farmers’ Market; Urban Organic Gardening workshops for Chandigarh citizens; an organic food festival featuring authentic organic cuisine from 10 different states of India; a Kisan Panchayat to create a dialogue space between urban consumers and farmers; and a biodiversity festival featuring thousands of heirloom seed varieties and cultural programmes.
The Scientific Conference held as part of the Convention, organised by Society of Agro-Ecology, India and Centre for Sustainable Agriculture saw scientists from premiere research institutions and organisations working with farmers as well as farmer-scientists share their latest research and observations on soil health, plant nutrition, plant protection, water management, and Iivestock development with special focus on the indigenous breeds of cattle.
NITTTR played a crucial role in taking the sessions to an audience outside those attending the convention. “We did a live webcast of some of the important sessions in the convention, apart from organising interactive sessions though ICT so as to reach farmers in remote corners of the country,” said Dr M P Poonia, Director, NITTTR.
The final declaration from the convention pledged to work towards mainstreaming ecological farming in the country. “We reiterate our conviction that agro-ecological farming practices are the only way forward for meeting the nutritional, livelihood, socio-cultural and spiritual needs of our people, including those of future generations. This conviction is strengthened by the experiences of our farmer friends in Punjab and Haryana who have paid a high price and sacrificed their environment and the health of their people. We pledge to stand by them in their journey to recovery and restoration,” said the declaration.
For more information, contact:
Umendra Dutt, Executive Director, KVM: 09872682161 (mob)
Kavitha Kuruganti, Convenor, ASHA: 09393001550 (mob)
Kapil Shah, Secretary, OFAI: 09427054132 (mob)
Yogendra Yadav 
Date: 2 March 2015The 85th Annual General Meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India was held today in Chennai.
