Saturday, 31 AUGUST 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target for preparation of the nation’s vast cultivable land for organic farming. Stating this, the Union Home and Cooperation minister Amit Shah said that with the formation of National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), it will be ensured within a few years that all profits from organic products directly go to the bank accounts of the farmers. In another two to three years, products of ‘Bharat’ brand will cover all types of vegetarian food, he said. Shah was speaking at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between NCOL and Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board (UCOB) in New Delhi on Friday.
Stating that the organic farming movement has reached an important stage, he said that cooperatives have an important role in Prime Minister Modi’s vision of making India the world’s largest organic food producing country. “Today there is an awareness about organic products across the world and there is a huge global market for the same. When we increase India’s share by tapping this market, the share of our farmers in the profitable business of organic products and their income also increases. The health of the citizens of the country is also linked with organic farming. The chemicals that enter our body through the use of fertilisers cause many types of diseases. This has also reduced the quality of the land, so much so that in many States the land has started becoming as hard as cement, due to which the risk of floods has also increased. On the contrary, with organic farming, the groundwater level increases, water is saved, production increases and the health of the consumer improves as well. Despite all these benefits, organic farming was not duly promoted,” Shah said.
The Union minister underlined that, earlier, there was no mechanism to check the quality of organic products and farmers did not get high prices. Also, there was hesitation in using these products. The Modi government established the NCOL to solve this problem. He said that Amul and NCOL together will establish a network of international level laboratories across the country which will examine both organic land and products. He said that both these recognised institutions will provide reliable organic products to consumers as ‘Bharat’ and ‘Amul’ brands.
Shah also called upon farmers engaged in organic farming across the country to join with the NCOL. He said that all the organic rice, pulses and wheat produced by the farmers will be purchased by the government. He said that in a short time, NCOL will create a smooth mechanism to send the profits directly to the bank accounts of the farmers. Shah also urged the farmers of Uttarakhand to make their farms completely organic and encourage other farmers towards natural farming. He said that farmers of Uttarakhand should make their fields completely organic and stop using fertilisers.
