According to the State Project Implementing Unit (SPIU), PK3Y in Shimla, so far 133,056 farmers in Himachal Pradesh are practicing natural farming, covering an area of 7609 hectares. About 12,000 apple farmers are included here.
In addition to the benefits of natural farming in terms of zero dependence on external markets, production, farm health, and reduced expenditure, farmers are also building their own marketing networks for natural produce with better returns.
Theog apple grower Shakuntala Sharma, from Shimla, has a reason to rejoice. Her natural farming method resulted in apples that fetched an unexpected price of over Rs 100 per kilogram this year. “The moment a buyer in the local market Dhamandri saw the label of ‘Natural Apples’ on my boxes, he instantly said he would purchase all at this price. I saved Rs 50,000-60,000 on the cost of cultivation also with non-chemical Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF), which is a big benefit,” she stated.
Ravinder Chauhan, a farmer of Samoli Panchayat in Rohru block of Shimla, stated, “I was in financial stress as I faced multiple problems in my apple orchard due to ever increasing expenditure on chemical sprays. But the shift to natural farming has helped me earn good profits in the last three years,”
Because his apples are chemical-free and natural, the price fluctuations in the market do not impact him much. “I fix the rate in advance,” he added.
In a statement, Dr Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Executive Director of PK3Y, said, “The State Project Implementing Unit (SPIU) is looking for different farmers for local based marketing models, which they have developed on their own. This will help us to converge these successful farmer-market linkages with our programme, wherein we are looking at connecting all the farmers with the market.”
