Former CS exhorts farmers to switch to organic farming

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 4

Former Chief Secretary (CS) RS Tolia today emphasised on bringing more and more farmers from the state into the ambit of organic farming.

Tolia, while addressing farmers at the Survey chowk organic haat here today, said Uttarakhand had immense potential in the sector of organic farming. He stressed on encouraging farmers to take to organic farming. He said organic vegetables and food were in high demand among health conscious society. Uttarakhand farmers would be benefited in the process.

The former Chief Secretary, who inspected vegetables and other edible products put up for sale by local farmers at the haat, also sought proper labeling on edible products like honey and ghee so that they could be identified as organic.

He also supported the start of organic haats in other places of Dehradun. Appreciating the Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board for the promotion of organic farming in the state, Tolia asked organic board officials present on the occasion to identify suitable places where organic haats could be organised.

Tika Ram Nautiyal from the Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board said besides space, the board also provided weighing machines and other equipment to farmers at the haats.

He said though the Survey chowk haat was still in a stage of infancy, the sale of vegetables to the tune of Rs 30,000 took place at the haat every Sunday.

Farmers OP Lakhera and Ashish Vyas apprised the former Chief Secretary of the benefits being achieved by members of their community through organic farming. Vyas said seeing the benefits, more farmers had taken to organic farming in the state.

Tolia, along with his wife Madhu, spent more than an hour at the Survey chowk haat and also bought vegetables. They even had a glass of whey.