Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat to launch campaign to link desi cows with agriculture

Before he was appointed governor of Himachal Pradesh in August 2015, Acharya Devvrat had been heading a gurukul, which also houses 350 desi cows, in Kurukshetra, Hayana, since 1981. Acharya says he had tried this model of “zero budget natural farming” at the gurukul spread over 175 acres where no chemical fertilisers are used.

“Farmers can produce fertilisers at home using cowdung, cow urine, jaggery and a few other items. Only one cow is enough to help produce these fertilisers for farming on 30 acres of land. If this model is adopted then, cow won’t be left on roads and the farmers would also become self-reliant,” he maintained. Agriculture officials say the government gives farmers around Rs 4,000-crore subsidy on fertilisers which include about 20 lakh metric tonne urea and 6 lakh MT DAP in the state.

The Acharya said the produce out of natural farming helps not only in healthy living but is environment friendly, too. “Natural farming will ensure toxic free and nutritious food production,” he added. The Governor said Padma Shri awardee Dr Subhash Palekar, an expert in natural farming, had created the concept of zero budget natural farming that has been adopted by over 40 lakh farmers in south India. He expressed concern over the use of pesticides, which not only diluted the health content in crops but also affected the fertility of the soil.

Meanwhile, Haryana Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar has suggested to the Acharya to convert 400 villages, where the state has gaushalas, into jaivik (organic) villages. “We can launch a pilot project on it and subsidy can be offered to the farmers,” said Dhankar. Haryana Environment Minister Vipul Goel has also offered all types of help to ensure success of this model.