Pact to promote organic farming on banks of Ganga

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ministry of Water Resources, Water Development and Ganga Rejuvenation to promote organic farming on the banks of river Ganga. Villagers situated on the banks of river Ganga will be encouraged for organic farming.

As per agreement, under the Namami Gange project 1,657 gram panchayats situated along the course of river Ganga starting from Uttarakhand to West Bengal, organic farming will be developed in all clusters under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana. Under this project, Agriculture Ministry, along with cluster formation, will provide training on integrated nutrient management and micro-irrigation techniques. Each gram panchayat will be treated as an organic cluster, where farmers will be encouraged to go for chemical fertilizer and pesticide-free farming so that the Ganga is not polluted by post-flood discharge.

 The move will also prevent underground water from getting polluted in the river basin in five states - Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The ministry will promote organic farming through launching awareness programmes, creating self help groups and using mobile App to disseminate relevant information about the side-effects of using chemicals, fertilizers and insecticides in farming.