Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan conveyed a message of making “Khet Bachao Abhiyan” not just an awareness program but a comprehensive national campaign connecting farms, farmers and villages. Charing a high level meeting regarding the preparations of the campaign in Delhi today, Shivraj Singh said that the focus of the campaign will be on balanced and judicious use of fertilisers, timely advice to famers in the view of weather related challenges, active participation at panchayat level and delivering the benefits of the schemes directly to the villages.
In order to make the month-long “Khet Bachao Abhiyan”, starting from June 1, effective and result-oriented, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed the officials to focus on saving the farms, balancing the costs and providing timely and right guidance to farmers. He said that the campaign will not run on top-down model. Instead, partnership from Panchayat to State and Centre will be ensured.
In the meeting, the Union Minister Shivraj Singh emphasized that minimizing the reckless use of chemical fertilisers would be the prime objective of the campaign. The aim is to sensitize the farmers about the balanced use of fertilisers and other agricultural inputs based on soil tests, motivating them to increase the use of green manures, organic and bio-products. Live demonstrations of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) will also be held.
Agriculture Minister Chouhan said that farmers will be provided practical advice in the view of weather related concerns in coming days. Constructive suggestions will be given on dos and don’ts, correct crop options, crop diversification and farming in case of water scarcity or risk. The purpose of the campaign will not be just to deliver a message, but to give right advice to the farmers at the farm level as per the situation.
