Inaugurating a day-long Eastern Regional Agriculture Conference in Bhubaneswar, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday announced that a nationwide “Khet Bachao Abhiyan” (save the land campaign) would be launched for a fortnight from June 1, focusing on balanced fertilizer usage, soil health, besides making farmers aware about modern technologies and different government schemes related to the farm sector.
He stressed the need to prevent diversion of subsidised fertilizers and ensure that the inputs are used strictly for farming purposes. Later speaking to the media, Chouhan said: “We will not forbid them to buy. But attempt will be made to make them aware of not applying more chemical fertilisers than what is required for the soil.” The minister said that the government aims to sell fertilisers based on land records of farmers once creation of farmers IDs is completed across the country.
Sales of fertilisers are rising as per official records for March and April, amid fear for adequate availability in the kharif season. The government on May 18 said that the current stock position of all fertilisers at 200.98 lakh tonnes (lt), over 51 per cent of the kharif season’s demand estimate of 390.56 lt and the remaining 49 per cent would also be met going forward from both domestic production as well as import.
Moots balanced use
Emphasising sustainable agriculture, he underlined the importance of protecting soil health through balanced fertilizer use. Chouhan warned that indiscriminate use of fertilizers without soil testing increases input costs and damages soil fertility. He urged states to encourage farmers to use fertilizers only as per scientific requirements.
Chouhan’s assertion on balanced use of fertilisers is not new, but the campaign he has launched may have serious repercussions for small farmers if their yield drops due to application of lower quantity, a former agriculture scientist of ICAR said, adding the government should focus on large farmers who are using hundreds of bags of urea.
Describing fake fertilizers, substandard seeds and counterfeit pesticides as serious crimes against farmers, he said that a large-scale campaign would be launched against such practices. He also emphasized the need for stricter laws and stronger action by states to ensure that farmers receive quality agricultural inputs without unnecessary increases in cultivation costs.
The minister emphasised that ahead of the annual Kharif conference at national level, he suggested to have regional level discussions first where more focussed approach could be possible for the states. Already two regional conferences have been concluded earlier in Jaipur and Lucknow.
Focus on a slew of issues
Representatives from Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal deliberated on key issues concerning the agricultural transformation of eastern India, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.
The conference focused on a wide range of issues including increasing pulses and oilseeds production, integrated farming for small and marginal farmers, natural farming, farmer registry, horticulture, agricultural credit, marketing reforms, control over fake agricultural inputs and enhancement of farmers’ income.
Chouhan said that the conference was not merely a formal event, but a serious platform for shaping a new direction for agriculture, farmers’ livelihoods and regional agricultural strategy in eastern India.
He emphasised that agriculture cannot remain confined only to paddy and wheat, and that greater focus must now be placed on pulses, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables and other high-value crops, especially given the enormous potential of eastern India in these sectors.
Move beyond slogans
But experts said that West Bengal is the country’s largest producer of fruits and vegetables, while all other states also have a large volume of horticulture crops. Besides, the eastern region is mostly rice-consuming states, where very little area is covered under wheat. Bonus announcement (over and above MSP) by Chhattisgarh and Odisha governments is luring more and more farmers towards paddy crop, which should be stopped if the Centre really wants crop diversification, said a former agriculture secretary.
Referring to the small landholdings in eastern states, Chouhan said that integrated farming — combining crop cultivation with horticulture, fisheries, animal husbandry, beekeeping and agro-forestry — must move beyond slogans and become a practical, field-level model. But many farmers in Odisha and West Bengal are already engaged in allied activities to raise their income, experts said pointing to the minister’s generalisation of problem rather than focussing on the eastern region.