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| Experts motivating farmers to return to organic farming to save 'green planet' | | 'Profuse use of chemical leads to toxicity in soil and make it infertile' | |
Syed Tahir Bukhari
Kupwara, July 16: Modern organic farming was introduced long back in Kashmir, and its spread is not on widespread. Agricultural community has pressed the panic button and is now motivating the farmers to return to organic farming in north Kashmir's Kupwara district to save the planet earth from premature soil erosion and its infertility.
According to scientists at Sher-i Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences (SKUAST) Wadoora, the use of profuse chemicals leads to toxicity in the soil and also makes the soil infertile.
"When it comes to organic farming it has no side effects and should be adopted at all levels of farming, says an official at this university.
"Farmers are now "sick" of the erratic weather conditions, the official said adding, "over the last few years we have been witnessing quite strange weather conditions. "Droughts have become frequent while rains occur erratically." in Kashmir, they opinioned.
"There is a huge demand of organic products in the world over and since Kashmir is known for its horticulture and agriculture so we are working on a large scale programs," they added.
Experts further say that the organic farming is being taken by farmers in all parts of the world and more and more farmers are shunning the practice of using pesticides. Abdul Rashid Mir a farmer of Kupwara said that among various crops which are being cultivated right now using organic farming includes Basmati rice, walnuts, saffron etc. "The university has also introduced organic agriculture program and has been very beneficial to the farmers. The university is also running a bio-fertilizer plant in North Kashmir," Mir said.
Pertinently as per Jammu and Kashmir government's economic survey for 2011-12, only 45% of agricultural land in Kashmir is covered by irrigation facilities with the rest dependent on rains. Official statistics indicate that 47,943 hectares of land is under rice cultivation in Kashmir.
Official within agriculture department said that the government is now working to make the market linkages strong for the organic products so that it will bring more profit to farmers. Agricultural Scientists also opinioned that organic farming only makes a crop taste better but also congruous to the environment.
It is also said that it can make the farming sustainable and can lead towards a better future of both state and the farmers official adds.
Another farmer Nazir Ahmad Bhat from Trehgam observed that the use of chemical inputs pesticides herbicides and fertilizers causes various damages to agricultural land.
"Organic farming is a fast growing agricultural segment in the state of Jammu and Kashmir now. Organic farmers dedicate more than 8 hundred acres of land to organic food production. These pieces of lands are producing organic fruit and vegetables," Bhat added.
He said, "They (bio-fertilizers) do not harm the ecology and maintain a balance in the nature which is quite contrary if we use pesticides in farming." |
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