Procurement of organic wheat begins in Himachal
The Himachal Pradesh government began procuring organic wheat in Bilaspur district, purchasing over 22 quintals from 17 farmers at Ghumarwin and Bilaspur centres. The initiative, under the ATMA project, follows a recent MSP hike for naturally cultivated crops. Over 8,000 farmers practice natural farming in the district, with more than 100 registered to sell organic wheat this year.
The Himachal government on Friday started the procurement of organic wheat from Bilaspur district, said officials.
The move comes after the hike in minimum support prices (MSP) for naturally cultivated crops by the chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government.
The purchase began at centres in Ghumarwin and Bilaspur and the government procured over 22 quintals from 17 farmers. Approximately 7.8 metric tonnes wheat is likely to be procured this season in Bilaspur district.
The procurement comes under the agriculture department’s Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) project, in collaboration with Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation.
Bilaspur deputy commissioner Rahul Kumar visited the local purchase centre to inspect the arrangements and interacted with farmers at the site. He listened to the farmers’ experiences and urged them to encourage others to adopt natural farming methods.
He instructed officials to provide training and awareness campaigns for the farmers who have made progress in this field.
The DC said the Himachal government is striving to promote natural farming and over 8,000 farmers in the district have adopted natural farming so far. Of these, 4,800 farmers have registered on the Centre’s Star Portal and comply with natural farming standards, he added.
The DC said that more than 100 farmers have registered this year to sell their organic wheat.
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Source : Hindustan Times
