India News | Vice Prez Naidu Expresses Concern over Deteriorating Soil Health

New Delhi, May 2 (PTI) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday underlined the importance of organic farming for sustainable and stable development, and said natural resources such as soil and water are not unlimited and the very future of mankind depends on their conservation.

Addressing a gathering on the release of a book ‘Bhumi Suposhan' (soil nutrition) published by Akshay Krishi Parivar, he expressed concern over degradation of soil due to overuse of pesticides and fertilisers, and stressed the need for creating awareness on this issue.

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He also said that unchecked extraction of groundwater is fast depleting water table leading to a reduction in moisture content in the soil and turning fertile land into barren land.

Listing out various benefits of organic farming, the vice president opined that it not only improves soil health, but also reduces farmers' input costs, an official statement issued by the Vice President Secretariat said.

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Locally available resources such as cow dung and waste organic matter can be used to prepare low-cost organic manure, increasing farmers' income.

Acknowledging Green Revolution's role in ensuring the country's food security, Naidu also highlighted some of its unintended consequences such as uncontrolled use of pesticides. Appreciating various governmental and individual efforts for soil conservation, he said the network of laboratories for soil testing is being strengthened and natural farming is being promoted in ecologically sensitive areas such as villages adjacent to the river Ganga.

Noting that around 6 lakh farmers are practicing organic farming on approximately 43 lakh hectares of land in India, the vice president expressed happiness over the fact that many hill states successfully adopted organic farming.

He said smaller states have shown that organic farming is particularly beneficial to our small and marginal farmers, adding that there is a growing awareness among the masses about the harmful effects of chemical farming and they are willing to pay for organic products.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)