In Andhra Pradesh, over 6.30 lakh farmers have registered for natural farming on 2.9 lakh hectares in 2021-22, and it is being practised in 3,009 of the 10,778 Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBK) and 5% of the land under cultivation, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said while participating virtually in a national workshop on natural farming hosted by the Niti Aayog.
A policy to boost natural farming, according to the chief minister, should be implemented. He stated that the RBKs play an important role in providing support to farmers who practise natural farming and that they also host natural farming awareness programmes.
Germany has promised to invest 20 million euros over five years to promote natural farming in the state, as well as to establish an Indo-German academy for agro-ecology research and education, which would teach scientific approaches in natural farming. According to Reddy, increasing natural farming will require collaboration with international institutions such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, the University of Reading, the University of Edinburgh, CIRAD (France), GIZ, and KfW, as well as certification of natural farming products at the RBK level.
The chief minister believes that farmers who embrace natural farming should be rewarded, and that the Finance Commission's suggestions to states that adopt natural farming in vast regions should take this into account. He believes that the certification procedure for natural and organic farming should be user-friendly for farmers. Institutional study on natural farming should be continued, he added, and studies on the influence of natural farming products and synthetic chemicals products on people's health should be undertaken.
The chief minister stated that the central and state governments distribute sponsored projects in a 60:40 ratio, which he believes should be modified to 90:10 for natural farming. Natural farming, according to Reddy, is a crucial innovation for boosting farmer livelihoods, maintaining people's food security, minimising chemical consumption via food, regenerating soil, and promoting water conservation.
