Natural farming must be turned into 'jan andolan', urges PM Modi

New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that natural farming must be turned into a 'jan andolan' (people's movement) and urged the farmers and the State governments to join the revolution.
Speaking at the National Summit on Agro and Food Processing, the Prime Minister said, "Today, some farmers believe that farming cannot happen without chemicals, but this is absolutely false. We must learn ancient traditions of natural farming where we were one with nature."
"Natural farming will maximize the benefits to 80 per cent of small farmers in India who have less than two hectares of land. The situation of these farmers can greatly improve if they turn to natural farming and reduce spending money on chemical fertilizers," he said.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, the Prime Minister said, "We should remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi Ji who mentioned, 'jahan shoshan hoga, wahan poshan nahi hoga'. Therefore, we are here to reduce the decades-long burden on our 'annadatas'."
"We must re-learn the basics of farming and adapt to it with our new technological innovations," he said.
He further urged the farmers not to burn stubble.
"We have to also get rid of mistakes in farming techniques. Experts say that burning the farm causes loss of land fertility. But it has become a tradition to burn crop stubble," he added.
The three-day summit on natural and zero-budget farming commenced on December 14 and is scheduled to conclude on December 16. (ANI)