PK3Ys ‘Natural Produce on Wheels’ launched in Shimla

SHIMLA: The new initiative ‘Natural Produce on Wheels’ under the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y) of department of Agriculture in Himachal Pradesh, was launched by Secretary (Agriculture) C Paulrasu at the state Secretariat here on Friday.

The consumers in the state capital can now buy natural produce on every Friday.

As per Paulrasu, the new initiative under the PK3Y will help farmers and consumers both.

“The mobile van will help the farmers take their chemical-free natural produce directly to the consumers,” he said. He said the natural farming technique is being adopted on a big scale by the farmers in Himachal Pradesh and the government will encourage the non-chemical low-cost natural farming technique in horticulture also. To begin with, under the initiative, the PK3Y is facilitating farmers of three development blocks around Shimla — Totu, Mashobra and Basantpur — to sell their natural produce in mobile van. The van will be stationed at the State Secretariat from 1 pm to 2.30 pm, at Himachal Pradesh University campus from 3 pm to 4 pm and at Krishi Bhawan from 4.15 pm to 5.30 pm every Friday, where the consumers can buy the chemical-free natural produce, including vegetables, fruits and processed products like pickles and desi ghee, etc.

The mobile van, which will take the produce to select places in Shimla, carried 10 quintal seasonal vegetables, fruits and other products on the inaugural day. The initiative evinced huge response among the consumers who came in great numbers to buy the healthy chemical-free produce immediately after the launch. State Project Director, PK3Y, Hemis Negi said the residents of Shimla can buy the natural produce at the rates comparable with the market around them. “We will gradually make naturally produced cereals also available to the consumers, along with vegetables and fruits. We will replicate the ‘Natural Produce on Wheels’ initiative at other locations in Shimla and in other districts based on the response,” he said

Negi said efforts are being made to provide the natural produce in local ‘mandis’ so that the consumers get the natural produce easily in routine. Besides, a marketing mechanism for natural produce is being worked out by organising the farmers to form Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) under PK3Y. Seven FPCs have been formed in the state for natural produce.

As many as 1.71 lakh farmers are currently practicing natural farming techniques in the state involving an area of over 24,000 hectare. The impact evaluation studies by the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management, Hyderabad and Academy of Management Studies, Lucknow on the benefits of natural farming in agriculture in Himachal Pradesh have found that the average reduction in the cost of cultivation with natural farming techniques is 36 per cent.

The studies have shown that the average increase in net returns/profits of farmers doing natural farming is 28.6 per cent. While 87 per cent beneficiary farmers believed that natural farming has improved drought tolerance and water management of crops, the natural farming technique is said to have helped in better management of diseases in different crops, compared to other agriculture practices.

Himachal is targeting to bring all the 9.61 lakh farmers in the state under natural farming, so that it gets recognition as the ‘natural farming’ state.