Mir asks rice growers to go for organic farming

Mir asks rice growers to go for organic farming Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, September 27
Keeping in view the health hazards of pesticides and chemical fertilisers, Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir has asked the rice growers of the state to go for organic farming as it has inherent cost advantage.
While addressing a gathering of farmers here recently, Mir informed the rice growers that the government was trying to popularise the organic cultivation of Basmati rice so that the growers of the RS Pura, Kathua and Samba areas could take interest in the cultivation of organic products, which were much in demand at the global level.
Impressing upon the farmers to go for organic farming, he said after adopting organic farming, farmers could get more dividends as there was a growing demand and awareness for organic agricultural products in the national and international market.
Mir said: “To popularise the cultivation of organic Basmati rice, various steps are being taken up on a large scale across the state.”
He hoped that the farmers would achieve major breakthrough in agriculture through organic farming of Basmati rice with the innovative collaboration of the Agriculture Department and with the scientists.
He further congratulated the rice growers of the state for the inclusion of grains of Basmati rice-370 and Ranbir Basmati varieties of RS Pura by the Union Ministry of Commerce in its list of exportable items.
He added: “As far as the Jammu region is concerned, the farmers of RS Pura and the surrounding areas take pride in projecting the traditional Basmati rice as a geographical indicator crop.”
Ajay Khajuria, director, Agriculture Department, also appreciated the sustained efforts of the RS Pura Rice Growers Association to promote the interests of traditional Basmati rice growers of the state.
Khjaura further said the promotion of organic farming was being done by the department under the Centrally sponsored schemes, namely Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, Technology Mission for North East and Himalayan States and the National Vegetable Initiative for Urban Clusters.