Amit Shah bats for natural farming practices, local hiring

While Shah urged farmers in Kalol to turn focus to natural farming practices; in Sanand, he insisted on hiring labourers locally.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah having a meal with locals under a scheme launched in the memory of his mother for the undeprivileged. Facebook @ amitshahofficial

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday attended three key events in his Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency in Gujarat. The events were related to different developmental projects – a nano DAP (di-ammonimum phosphate) plant of IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited) in Kalol, a sports complex in Mansa, and a mini Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Sanand. While Shah urged farmers in Kalol to turn focus to natural farming practices; in Sanand, he insisted on hiring labourers locally.

Addressing a gathering in Gandhinagar district’s Kalol after inaugurating a newly built nano DAP plant of IFFCO, Shah emphasised upon the need for farmers to divert to natural farming without affecting agricultural produce. It is the responsibility of farmers and cooperative organisations, he said, to fill the gap between the requirement of grains and their production. “Today, I want to tell farmers not only of Gujarat but those across the country that it is the need of the hour that we decrease the use of (solid) urea. It is the need of the hour that we divert towards natural farming. But it is also the need of the hour that we maintain our (agriculture) production,” Shah said.

He said that the shift from current agriculture practices to natural farming would take around two-three years and during that time the production would go down. “Today, I have come to tell you that if you want to divert to natural farming and pass the three-year period without decreasing the production, then use nano DAP. You will be switching over to natural farming and the production will also not go down,” Shah added.

This is the second such IFFCO plant in Gujarat. Last year, in May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated IFFCO’s nano urea plant. The nano DAP plant has been built at the cost of Rs 300 crore. On Tuesday, Shah further said that he can say with certainty that 10 years down the line, the nano urea and nano DAP initiatives of IFFCO will be among the list of biggest experiments in the field of agriculture.

In his speech, Shah also highlighted that in the last nine years, PM Modi-led Central government has hugely increased the budget for farmers in the country.

Union Minister of Chemical & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya was also present on the occasion, along with IFFCO Chairman and former Gujarat minister Dileep Sanghani.

Later, Shah attended an event in Sanand where he launched various developmental projects worth Rs 289 crore. These projects included the Sanand Industries Association’s mini ITI and fire station and Hydrogen Electrolyzer Manufacturing factory of a private firm.

Story continues below this ad

In his speech at Sanand, Shah requested the people of Sanand GIDC (Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation) to ensure that whatever skilled or unskilled labourers they require are hired from the five tehsils around the region.

Earlier in the day, Shah laid the foundation stone for a sports complex to be constructed at Mansa in Gandhinagar district at the cost of Rs 13 crore. The complex will have an indoor multipurpose hall, 400-metre athletic track, grassy football ground, two tennis courts, two volleyball courts, two basketball courts, two kabaddi grounds, and a kho-kho ground.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram