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TURA: Selsella MLA, F C A Sangma on Tuesday highlighted the need to aggressively organized awareness programmes on the importance of organic farming saying that the level of toxicity in the food items be it vegetables or livestock that we consume has reached alarming proportion to the extent that people are suffering from various serious and terminal diseases because of their food habits and unhealthy life styles.
Sangma said this while participating as the Chief Guest during the two day day Kishan Mela under the theme ‘Organic Farming-A Way Forward to Sustainable Agriculture’ sponsored by the ICAR-Vivekananda Krishi Anushandan Sansthan, Almora, Uttarakhand and Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) held at the Chandmari playground in Tura. The two day mela was attended by farmers from the district, Self Help Groups and allied line departments like Fishery and Horticulture along with their products.
Sangma, who also happens to be the Chairperson of Meghalaya State Council for Climate Change & Sustainable Development Management said that aggressive and sustain campaign to spread awareness about the importance of the organic farming was the need of the hour as according to her, the level of toxicity in the food items has reached alarming proportion. Emphasizing the importance of organic farming, she said that our forefathers used to be strong, healthy and virtually disease free as they grow their own vegetables with natural manures for their domestic consumptions and rued the wanton use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the vegetables and cash crops to increase yields with view to maximise the commercial benefits in complete disregard to the health and well being of the people. Sharing her personal experience, she said that cow urine with margosa (neem) leaves makes a perfect repellent for pest and insects.
West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ram Singh, who attended the event as the Guest of Honour, in his address said that the Garo Hills is the bowl of some 200 different species both known and wild vegetables which are naturally grown and nutritious and rich in vitamins at the same time. He therefore, suggested the agriculture scientists and officials to do a research on this and focus on its development without interfering too much with its natural characteristics.
Earlier delivering the key note address, M D Arengh, the District Agriculture Officer, Tura, informed that some 55% of the total population of India are directly engaged in farming and agriculture and are dependent on it; and hence, agriculture plays an important role in our economy. Stressing the importance of organic farming, he said the governments world over are today giving special attention to organic farming in view of the climate change in which the use of environmentally harmful fertilizers and pesticides are also contributes to some extent in the degradation of the world environment. Hence, among other things, the Kishan (farmer) Mela of this kind are organized with an underlying motive to getting back to basics and reducing the negative impacts to nature due to pollutants arising out chemical farming, he said.