ZP President tells to shun chemical fertilisers, adopt organic farming

Zilla Panchayat president Geetha has called upon farmers to shun use of chemical fertilisers and instead switch over to organic farming. Speaking at a programme to mark World Soil Health Day at the University of Horticultural Sciences here on Monday, the ZP president said that soil had lost its fertility due to overuse of chemical fertilisers. Owing to decreased soil fertility, the yield too has been coming down with every passing year. Apart from this, excessive use of chemicals has been casting deleterious effect on human health.

“Soil health is as important as human health. Hence, farmers should make all efforts to safeguard soil fertility,” she said. The ZP chief said that farmers should conduct soil fertility tests at regular intervals and obtain the advice of horticultural and agricultural experts.

District president of Krishik Samaj, D L Nagaraj said that chemical fertilisers were not in use till 1970 and it was the governments which introduced these fertilisers to farmers. But, excess use of these chemical fertilisers has rendered soil infertile.

Human beings continued to be inflicted with diseases as they move away from organic farming. Hence, the agriculture department should encourage farmers to take up organic farming. The agriculture and horticulture departments should create awareness about organic farming.

“Fertilisers were imported to tide over food crisis which arose due to population explosion. This resulted in vanishing of organic farming. In foreign countries, financial assistance is provided to farmers along with sowing seeds and marketing facility for their produce. But, the governments in country, which seek farmers to grow quality crops, do not provide market for such produce,” he said.

Nagaraj noted that while farmers in areas which have irrigation facility were committing suicide, those in parched districts such as Kolar, were not taking to such cowardly act. Joint Director of Agriculture (in-charge) H K Shivakumar, who spoke on the occasion, called upon farmers to consider agriculture as an industry and adopt modern technology to improve yield.

He said that soil samples would be collected for every 25 acres for testing and soil health certificates issued every three years. He said that fertilisers would be distributed in a manner similar to the food grains. Deputy Director of Horticulture department M S Raju, Deputy Director of Sericulture department S V Kumar and others were present on the occasion. Soil health cards were issued to farmers at the programme.