New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advocated for group farming, suggesting that small and marginal farmers pool their land parcels to grow high-value crops and enhance their income.
On Saturday, the Prime Minister interacted with the farmers in a programme held at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in the national capital.
The interaction with farmers took place before he launched two major schemes in the agriculture sector with an outlay of Rs 35,440 crore. He launched the PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana with an outlay of Rs 24,000 crore and the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses with an outlay of Rs 11,440 crore.
During the interaction, the Prime Minister asked farmers to adopt natural farming gradually and pragmatically.
“He suggested a phased approach: testing natural farming on a part of the land while continuing traditional methods on the rest, thus building confidence over time,” according to an official statement.
Many farmers, hailing from different states, shared their experience with the Prime Minister.
A young entrepreneur from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, displayed his aeroponic-based potato seed farming, where potatoes are grown in vertical structures without soil.
The PM humorously termed it “Jain Potato” as such produce might align with religious dietary restrictions of Jains who avoid root vegetables, the statement said.
One of the farmers from Haryana’s Hisar district mentioned that he started growing Kabuli chana
four years ago and has achieved a yield of about 10 quintals per acre.
Modi enquired about inter-cropping practices, particularly whether leguminous crops are integrated into the farming system to enhance soil fertility and generate additional income.
In response, the farmer said that incorporating such crops has proven beneficial. He explained that growing pulses like chana not only provides a reliable harvest but also enriches the soil with nitrogen.
Modi emphasized that cultivation of pulses not only boosts farmer income but also contributes to the nutritional security of the country.
As per the statement, the Prime Minister “encouraged the idea of group farming, where small and marginal farmers can come together, pool their land, and focus on selecting high-value crops to enhance production, reduce cost, and gain better access to markets”.
A farmer shared a successful example of this model, stating that around 1,200 acres are now under residue-free Kabuli chana farming, leading to better market access and improved incomes for the entire group.