Not organic, but natural: PM Modi warns chemical farming is killing Mother Earth

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday made a strong pitch for natural farming, warning that the use of chemicals in agriculture was destroying Mother Earth.

Addressing the India Today Group's Kisan Tak Bharat Agriculture Conference at New Delhi's Bharat Mandapam, PM Modi appealed to farmers to move towards chemical-free cultivation. He made a clear distinction between organic and natural farming, and emphasised that he was advocating the latter."The way we are using chemicals, we are destroying Mother Earth. We are her children, and we are killing our own mother before our eyes," he said at the flagship India Today Group event.

Modi warned that failing to protect agricultural land from chemical damage could have serious consequences for future generations.

PM Modi's remarks came during his address at Bharat Mandapam, where at least 2,000 farmers, agricultural scientists and industry representatives had gathered for the two-day conference. Modi's warning followed his account of how the Centre had spent heavily to keep chemical fertilisers affordable for farmers, after the war in the Middle East disrupted supply chains. He said the government had spent Rs 16 lakh crore over the past 12 years to subsidise fertilisers and shield farmers from rising input costs.

The Prime Minister said the government had spent Rs 16 lakh crore over the past 12 years to provide fertilisers at affordable prices. While defending these subsidies, he also highlighted technologies that could help farmers determine how much fertiliser their soil actually needed. His concluding appeal, however, went beyond reducing fertiliser consumption to promoting natural farming.

Modi's warning comes nearly four months after the Centre moved to ban paraquat, a highly toxic herbicide widely used on Indian farms. On July 14, India Today Digital reported that the Agriculture Ministry had issued a draft notification proposing a nationwide prohibition on paraquat, which has been banned in more than 70 countries. The proposed ban followed years of concerns over poisoning, serious health risks and the chemical's misuse in agriculture.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.- Ends

Sushim Mukul is a keen observer, with interest in polity, geopolitics, culture and heritage.