EVERGREEN REVOLUTION THROUGH ORGANIC FARMING

Emphasising the need to educate farmers for making right use of fertilisers, noted agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan today said the wave of organic farming will usher in the "evergreen revolution" in country. Speaking at Khalsa College Amritsar (KCA), he said environment issues confronting agriculture were serious but adopting the organic and controlled-fertilisers-use would end the woes. He said focus cannot be merely on agriculture growth but "we must ensure economic well-being of farmers too". Former head of National Commission on Farmers and Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), Swaminathan also appealed to the youth to adopt agriculture as a vocation. "The country needs young farmers, men and women both. They are more ready to adopt new technology and modern methods of farming," he said. Asked about Punjab's declining agriculture growth, Swaminathan said the production is up in Punjab but other issues need attention. "There are environmental and marketing issues confronting Punjab's agriculture today. There are issues of farmers' debts and need for diversification and crop rotation," he said, adding that more and more farmers must adopt organic farming and the government must help the farming community to get rid of the challenges of marketing. He, however, said Punjab had been and would always be the leader in grain production and the hard working farmers from here will continue feeding the country. Punjab Farmers Commission Head G S Kalkat cited cultural and behavioural patterns confronting farmers. He said farmers taking loans to dig tube wells and buying machinery that may not pay adequate dividends have added to the problems of indebtedness. Kalkat said the focus had always been on Agriculture but the time has come when emphasis should be given on economic prosperity of farmers as well. Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) honourary Secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina appreciated the contributions of Swaminathan to the Green Revolution. He said Punjab was witnessing the 50th anniversary of 'wheat revolution' in 1963, which led to the Green Revolution. It is time to re-think the widespread use of chemicals in farming, which has badly affected land and water resources of the state, he added.