Emphasising the need to educate farmers for making right use of fertilisers, noted agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan on Thursday said that wave of organic farming will usher in the “evergreen revolution” in country. “Environment issues confronting agriculture are serious but adopting the organic and controlled-fertilisers-use would end the woes,” he said while speaking at Khalsa College Amritsar (KCA).
He said that focus cannot be merely on agriculture growth but “we must ensure economic well-being of farmers too”. Former head of National Commission on Farmers and Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), Swaminathan also appealed to the youth to adopt agriculture as a vocation.
“The country needs young farmers, men and women both. They are more ready to adopt new technology and modern methods of farming,” he added.
Asked about Punjab's declining agriculture growth, Swaminathan said the production is up in Punjab but other issues need attention.
“There are environmental and marketing issues confronting Punjab's agriculture today. There are issues of farmers' debts and need for diversification and crop rotation,” he said, adding that more and more farmers must adopt organic farming and the government must help the farming community to get rid of the challenges of marketing.
He, however, said that Punjab had been and would always be the leader in grain production and the hard working farmers from here will continue feeding the country. Punjab Farmers Commission head GS Kalkat cited cultural and behavioural patterns confronting Farmers.