Lok Sabha Question No. 4574 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: National Mission on Natural Farming
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: D. Ravikumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4574

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 28 TH  MARCH, 2023

## NATIONAL MISSION ON NATURAL FARMING

## 4574. SHRI RAVIKUMAR D.:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is true that the budget of National Mission on Natural Farming is just Rs. 459 crore for 2023-24 whereas the budget on fertilizer subsidy is at Rs. 1,75,099 crore;
- (b) whether the Government has any plan to increase the budget of National Mission on Natural Farming and if so, the details thereof ;
- (c) whether the climate smart agriculture is different from natural and organic farming; and
- (d) whether the Government has opted for climate smart agriculture rather than natural and organic farming in its priorities for G20 agriculture working group and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं िकसान काण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) & (b): To motivate farmers to adopt chemical free farming and enhance the reach of natural  farming,  the  Government  has    formulated  National  Mission  on  Natural  Farming (NMNF) as a separate and independent scheme from 2023-24 by up scaling the Bhartiya Prakritik  Krishi  Paddati  (BPKP).  The  success  of  NMNF  will  require  behavioral  change  in farmers to shift from chemical based inputs to cow based locally produced inputs and thus requires continuous creation of awareness, training, handholding and capacity building of farmers  in  the  initial  years.  The  provision  of  Rs  459.00  crores  for  2023-24  has  been proposed  after  careful  consideration  and  the  requirement  of  increase  of  budget  is  not anticipated at this stage.

The budget for fertilizer subsidy for 2023-24 has been kept at Rs 1,75, 099 crore.

(c)  & (d): Natural  Farming  is  a  way  of  chemical  free  farming  based  on  desi  cow  and locally  available  resources,  with  no  chemical  fertilizers  and  pesticides  and  promotes traditional  indigenous practices which give freedom to farmers from externally purchased inputs  and  is  largely  based  on  on-farm  biomass  recycling  with  major  stress  on  biomass mulching,  use  of  on-farm  desi  cow  dung-urine  formulation;  managing  pests  through diversity,  on-farm  botanical  concoctions  and  exclusion  of  all  synthetic  chemical  inputs directly  or  indirectly  and  emphasis  is  given  on  improving  natural  nutrient  cycling  and increase in organic matter in the soil, which can help with climate change resilience and carbon sequestration in soils.

'National Standard of Organic Production (NSOP) has defined organic agriculture as 'a  system  of  farm  design  and  management  to  create  an  ecosystem  which  can  achieve sustainable productivity without use of artificial off farm input such as chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Organic farming is considered to be climate friendly farming practices promoting low external input usage, recycling, reuse and reduced use of synthetics in farming. Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) under its All India Network Programme on Organic Farming  has  developed  package  of  practices  for  organic  production  in  cropping  and farming systems mode.

Climate  smart  agriculture  is  a  broader  concept  which  includes  all  environments friendly  agricultural  approaches  like  integrated farming  systems, conservation  agriculture, natural farming, organic farming, precision agriculture, regenerative agriculture, reclamation of  degraded  soils  and  reduced  food  loss  and  waste  to  achieve  sustainable  agriculture. Climate  smart  agriculture  is  an  integrated  approach  to  managing  landscapes-cropland, livestock, forests and fisheries-that address the interlinked challenges of food security and climate change. It aims to tackle three main objectives: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes, adapting and building resilience to climate change and reducing greenhouses  gas  emissions  wherever  possible  and  supports  FAO  strategic  framework 2022-2031.

To make global consensus on a broader concept, Government has opted climate smart agriculture rather than natural and organic farming in its priorities for G20 agriculture working group.

******