Parshottam Rupala lauds Himachal govt for natural farming initiatives

Tribune News Service

Solan, December 19

The Progressive Agri Leadership Summit 2021 concluded on Saturday evening at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni.

Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, was the chief guest for the day.

The event was organised by the Krishi Udyami Krishak Vikas Chamber, in association with the university and Sikkim State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited.

Addressing the gathering, Rupala lauded the state government for its natural farming initiatives and appreciated the efforts of Sikkim for promoting organic farming.

He laid emphasised on the documentation of success stories of farmers and novel agri-innovations for future policy formulation. He also laid stress on popularising indigenous livestock.

In his address, Virender Kanwar, state Agriculture Minister, said the government was committed to doubling farmers’ income, adding that there was a need to reduce the cost of cultivation and suggested natural farming as a solution.

JP Dalal, Haryana Agriculture Minister, said the mandi system in the state had been strengthened and they hoped to establish the biggest mandi in Haryana. Farmer leader and former Agriculture Minister of Haryana OP Dhankher also spoke on the occasion.

A session on “Peri-Urban Agriculture: Realising Potential for Resilient and Enterprising Ecosystem” was also held during the summit, in which Dr Parvinder Kaushal, Vice Chancellor, UHF; Dr BR Kamboj, Vice Chancellor, HAU, Hisar; Dr GC Sharma, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST, Jammu; along with the representatives from the agri-industry discussed peri-urban agriculture.

As many as 42 awards were distributed during the summit under various categories.

Himachal bagged the awards for soil health and best initiative in agriculture marketing and practices, while Haryana bagged the awards for risk management and initiative in brand development. Jammu and Kashmir was awarded for saffron promotion and production, while Punjab was awarded for crop residue management. Uttar Pradesh bagged the award for the best initiative in animal health and Uttarakhand took home the award for organic farming.