Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday laid emphasis on the need for merging traditional and modern scientific knowledge for better farming and food production.
He was addressing an event to mark ‘Akti Tihar’ and ‘Maati Poojan’ organized at the Indira Gandhi Agriculture University (IGAU) premises.
The Chief Minister offered prayers as he sought blessings from the soil and planted seeds. He also ploughed the field by tractor.
Throwing light on ancient traditional knowledge, he said the farmers plough the crop field at a temperature of 45 degree Celsius in 4-5 inches of soil. It helps to kill all the insects and pests including their eggs.
The traditional mode was used to select best seeds by observing germination but now chemicals are used to separate best seeds. This is then dried to be used later.
So, offering prayers to ‘Mother Earth’, the farmers’ seek blessings so that in future he gets a better crop. The women sow seeds of vegetables on this occasion, mainly climbers like pumpkins, gourds and others.
Appreciating IGAU for conserving 2,300 species of paddy seeds, he said in the last 35 years of IGAU, establishment scientists could prepare only 110 varieties of paddy seeds.
But Chhattisgarh farmers developed 2,300 species of paddy using traditional knowledge. He said there was a need to document all the farming traditional knowledge so that the next generation can use it.
The concept of Narwa-Garuwa-Ghurwa-Baadi’ (NGGB) can help to fight climate change and global warming. The construction of structures on rivulets has helped in increasing ground water level and purity of water, he said.
Laying emphasis on organic farming, he said like taking care of a child in the womb and after delivery, the soil should also be taken care of.
He called upon farmers to go for organic farming as chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides have caused much damage to soil and human beings. Organic farming will save both besides reducing input cost and giving better earnings.