Madhya Pradesh government launched a crop diversification promotion scheme with focus on natural farming and on substituting wheat and paddy crops with other crops that are suitable for local climate and are market driven.
The crop diversification scheme has been launched for three years starting the current financial year (2022-23), to encourage demand-based crop diversification, keeping in mind the economic welfare of the farmers, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday.
He said work has started in the state by selecting areas for natural farming on a pilot basis. Two proposals for natural farming were cleared by the cabinet committee for industrial promotion (CCIP) on Wednesday. If other concrete proposals are received, the government will not delay their approval, the CM said.
Chouhan said Madhya Pradesh is moving ahead faster in the field of crop diversification compared to other states and if farmers start taking interest, promotion of natural farming will be easier.
The CM said instead of paddy and wheat – two major crops of the state – focus is on growing other crops through natural farming techniques. Attention is being given to ensure that the cropping area of soybean – one of the important cash crops in the state – does not go down and paddy and wheat are substituted instead, he added.
A government note said the Kharif season in the state is based on paddy and soybean, while the Rabi season is mainly based on wheat crop. Keeping in view the situation of environmental imbalance in some crops due to the diversity in the agro-climatic zone and climate of the state, the state government is making efforts to promote crop diversification.
Cropping area of wheat makes up 98.29 lakh hectare out of total area of 134 lakh hectare during Rabi season and the area of paddy is 34.04 lakh hectare out of total 148 lakh hectare under cropping during Kharif season. In 24 districts of the state, either wheat or paddy is grown in more than 80 per cent of the cultivable area. There are four districts in the state in which both wheat and paddy are cultivated in more than 80 per cent area.
Under the crop diversification promotion scheme, growing varieties of crops which are not dependent on government procurement (not included under minimum support price – MSP – regime), but driven by market and export demand will be encouraged. Such crops include Ragi, Barley, Coarse Cereals, Kodo-Kutki, Ramtil, Sesame, spices, medicinal crops, fruits and vegetables. To maintain environmental balance, crops suited to the local climate will be promoted.
Monitoring of diversified areas of crops will be ensured through e-Girdawari portal. Direct linkage of farmers and their crops with the market will be ensured under the scheme. In this, there will be a system of fixed purchase of the produce of the farmers. Buy-back will be ensured for the farmers from various companies, farms, institutions and exporters. All sales will be monitored through the Farm Gate App. The cost of the project will be borne jointly by private partners, government and farmers. Government assistance will be given for human resources, training, inputs and other necessary expenditure. Simultaneously, convergence with other schemes will also be done, the note said.
