Former Chhattisgarh Agriculture Minister and newly appointed Chairman of the State Finance Commission Chandrashekhar Sahu has termed Chhattisgarh as a classic case for becoming a truly ‘Organic Farming State’.
‘We need to further boost organic farming practices in Chhattisgarh. There is a huge organic farming potential existing in the State with crops which have medicinal value’ he told The Pioneer. Bastar’s paddy crop is a typical example of organic farming which grows using less water, less manure and has medicinal value, he said.
Sahu, who is a strong advocate of bio-fertilizer based farming in Chhattisgarh also suggested that the National Fertilizer Policy needs to be re-oriented to encourage large-scale usage of bio-fertilizers in farms.
Expressing worry over rainfall level reduction in last decade in parts of Chhattisgarh, the Minister said : ‘There are atleast 14 districts in Chhattisgarh where low rainfall experienced during the past decade has affected cropping patterns’.
The districts of Kabirdham, Rajnandgaon, Bemetara, Balod, Durg, Mungeli, Korba, Koriya, Balrampur, Raigarh, Narayanpur and Kanker are among some others which had been affected by the impact of climate change, he said.
The ‘lakri’ crop cultivation in Chhattisgarh had seen 50 per cent decline during the past 15 years which had also affected rural household economies. The ‘lakri’ crop output is typically like ‘Dal’ with high protein content, Sahu said.
Sahu is also a firm supporter of harnessing solar energy for meeting irrigation needs of the farmers in Chhattisgarh.