Dhurleta declared as Jharkhand’s ‘first’ organic village
RANCHI: On the occasion of World Soil Day (December 5), Ramakrishna Mission, Ranchi, declared the village of Dhurleta as Jharkhand’s “first organic village”. The declaration was made in front of Ranchi parliamentarian Ram Tahal Choudhary and officials of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
The Mission has developed the village, in Angara block, where farmers have practised organic methods on around 50 acres of land for over two years now. The next step, said Mission officials, would be to send a detailed report about the village to the Centre for certification.
“In a bid to provide chemical-free, healthy food to people, the Mission’s Divyayan Krishi Vigyan Kendra (DKVK) has been carrying out research on organic farming since 2006. The [agri-research centre] has trained over 1,200 farmers in organic farming in Ranchi district,” said Bhaveshanand, secretary, Ramakrishna Mission, Ranchi.
How it began
The organic village development programme was started in 2016, under the DKVK tribal sub-plan with the help of NABARD. The first phase covered three villages: Dhurleta, input cost was reduced by 50% due to non-use of fertilisers and pesticides; then, productivity increased by 10-20%; and the third one is price: a private agency purchases our vegetables at the doorstep, paying 15-20% more than the market rate.”
STATEIMPETUS:
The Jharkhand government has given a huge impetus to organic farming. Chief minister Raghubar Das announced — at the Global Agriculture and Food Summit, held in Ranchi on November 29-30 — that the government would set up a cluster for organic farming in each district of the state. He also urged farmers to go for organic farming.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has also promised that his company, Patanjali, would purchase, process, and market all organic farm produce, including wheat, rice, pulses, and honey, from Jharkhand, and also provide training in organic farming. ECO-FRIENDLYMEASURES:
A total of 91 NADEP compost units, 113 vermi-compost units, and cow floor for cow urine collection were set up in three villages, said senior scientist Dr Ajit Kumar Singh, of Ramakrishna Mission, Ranchi. He said that 50 acres of land belonging to 29 farmers in Dhurleta village were converted into organic farm land.