In an attempt to harvest a lucrative yield for the farmers, the government of Uttar Pradesh has decided to promote organic farming within a radius of 5 kilometres of River Ganga. This remunerative decision will benefit the farmers working on cultivations on either side of the river banks.
As per reports, the Agriculture and Horticulture Department along with the Jal Shakti Ministry has already started working on the plan, and farmers have been inducted into training programmes about organic farming. Besides this, all material, including grains, fruits and flowers along with necessary equipment required for organic farming will be provided to the farmers.
Organic yield to promote cleanliness of Ganga
The state government in Uttar Pradesh has undertaken the objective of cleaning the Ganges river and has decided to completely ban the usage of chemical fertilisers in agricultural fields within the 5-km radius of Ganga, which has been labelled as one of the major pollutants by a senior official of the Namami Gange Department. This ban will further promote the techniques of organic cultivation and harvest here.
With the implementation of this ban, the government is looking to cover three aspects at once. First, it is looking forward to the cleanliness of river Ganga, secondly it is aiming to increase the income of the farmer, and thirdly, it is planning to produce large quantity of organic crops in the state.
UP Minister and state government spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh said, “The government is committed to pollution-free Ganga while ensuring the progress of the farmers. The government is introducing the schemes aiming for the same.” According to the statement of the officials at the Jal Shakti Ministry, their combined efforts with the Agriculture and Horticulture Department aim to provide a large market to the farmers for their organic crops so that they get a better price for their crops.
‘Ganga nursery’ to be developed in every district
A senior official of the Namami Gange Department has stated that besides prohibiting the usage of chemical fertilisers, Peepal, Mango, Jamun and Banyan trees will be planted on both sides of the river to avoid soil erosion, and all encroachments on the banks of the Ganga will be razed in a campaign that will be launched. This will clear up more cultivable land for the farmers.
The official further added that a ‘Ganga nursery’ will be developed in every district to implement the plantation of new trees on either side of the river. Geo-tagging of all the trees planted on the sides of the river will be done with the help of the forest department.
– With inputs from IANS
