Shimla, August 30: A delegation of four scientists from the National Institute for Research on Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), France, met Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today. The team, led by Prof. Allison Marie Loconto, Deputy Director, LISIS, includes researchers Prof. Mireille Matt, Dr. Evelyne Lhoste and Dr. Renée Van Dis. They have come to Himachal Pradesh to get information about the progress made in the field of natural farming.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh is a leading state in the field of natural farming. Himachal is the first state in the country to provide minimum support price for products grown through natural farming. Wheat is being purchased in the state at the rate of Rs 40 per kg and maize at Rs 30 per kg. Apart from this, cow milk is being purchased at the rate of Rs 45 per liter and buffalo milk at the rate of Rs 55 per liter.
He stressed the importance of product certification in natural farming. He said that the CETARA certification system has been started in the state, which is being implemented to get fair prices to the farmers.
The Chief Minister said that the Him-Unnati Yojana is being implemented in the state with a cluster-based approach, which aims to do chemical-free production and certification. Under this, there is a plan to involve about 50,000 farmers and establish 2,600 agricultural groups. Apart from this, the state government is taking important steps to promote the dairy sector and increase milk production.
INRAE scientists will visit Dr. YS Parmar Horticulture and Horticulture University, Nauni and other places in the state for three weeks. Their visit is part of the European Commission-funded ACROPIX project (International Co-Innovation Dynamics and Agro-Ecological Crop Protection towards Evidence of Sustainability), which aims to advance co-innovation in agro-ecological crop protection.
The delegation appreciated the efforts of the state government in promoting natural farming and the CETARA certification system. He said that INRAE will explore the possibility of adopting this certification system in other countries.
Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sanjay Awasthi, MLAs Suresh Kumar, Vivek Sharma, Neeraj Nayyar, Vinod Sultanpuri, Ranjit Singh Rana, Sudarshan Bablu, Secretary Agriculture C. Paulrasu, Director Horticulture Vinay Singh, Vice Chancellor of Dr. YS Parmar Horticulture and Horticulture University Prof. Rajeshwar Chandel and other dignitaries were present in the meeting.
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