Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 1: A three-day training programme on Natural Farming for farmers of North and Middle Andaman districts was inaugurated today at the Training Hall of ICAR-KVK, Sri Vijaya Puram. The training programme is being organised by the Department of Agriculture, A&N Administration in association with ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) and the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF). The programme is being conducted under NMNF in convergence with the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA), with the objective of equipping farmers with practical knowledge, technical skills and hands-on experience in adopting natural farming methods that are cost-effective, sustainable and suited to local farming conditions.
The programme was inaugurated in the presence of Mr. Debabrata Basantia, Director of Agriculture as the chief guest and Dr. Jai Sundar, Director, ICAR-CIARI, guest of honour along with Dr. Y. Ramakrishna, Principal Scientist & Head, ICAR-KVK, Nodal Officer, NMNF, Scientist, SMS from ICAR-KVK, officials of the Department of Agriculture, ATMA functionaries and participating farmers.
Addressing the farmers, Director of Agriculture, highlighted the importance of Karen Paddy, which has recently received Geographical Indication (GI) recognition and has also been included under the Dweep Sugandh Initiative. He encouraged the farmers to adopt natural farming practices along with appropriate crop management techniques in paddy cultivation to achieve better yields while maintaining soil health and long-term sustainability.
Dr. Jaisundar, Director, ICAR-CIARI emphasized that the adoption of natural farming practices can contribute to healthier farmers, healthier soils and a healthier environment.
The first day of the training programme focused on “learning by doing”, with demonstrations and practical sessions on the preparation and use of important natural farming bio-inputs such as Panchagavya, Neemastra, Jeevamrit and Beejamrit. The farmers were provided with detailed information on the importance, preparation methods and application of these bio-inputs in crop production.
A total of 42 farmers are participating in the programme, with the participants primarily drawn from the Mayabunder Zone and other areas covered under Natural Farming Clusters.
