05-05-2025
In Himachal Pradesh, farmers to get MSP for naturally grown wheat, turmeric from May 15
Shimla: In an initiative to expand farmers' revenue sources by encouraging them to adopt low-cost, non-chemical, natural-farming techniques, the Himachal Pradesh govt will, from May 15, start procurement of naturally grown wheat at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 60 per kg and raw turmeric at Rs 90 per kg through the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y).
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The state govt is also carrying out evaluations in the tribal Pangi Valley in Chamba district for the procurement of naturally grown barley at the MSP of Rs 60 per kg, as the sowing season has just started here. Pangi will become the first natural farming sub-division of the state, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had announced at a Himachal Day function in Pangi on April 15.
Farmers have been identified for the procurement of wheat and raw turmeric produced through natural farming, said secretary (agriculture) C Paulrasu.
The MSP fixed by the state govt for naturally grown maize, wheat, raw turmeric, and barley is the highest in the country for these crops, he added.
The officer said the agriculture department has already initiated the process to certify Pangi as a natural farming sub-division, and a committee has been constituted by PK3Y for the survey in Pangi for large area certification under the participatory guarantee scheme (PGS).
Last year, the PK3Y procured 399 metric tonnes (MT) of naturally grown maize grains from 1,509 CETARA-NF certified farmers in the state, which were processed into flour and sold under the brand name Him Bhog Makki Atta through the food and civil supplies corporation.
At present, 3.06 lakh farmers in Himachal have been trained in the natural-farming technique, out of which 2.22 lakh are practising it on 38,437 hectares across the hill state.
As many as 1.98 lakh farmers have been certified under PK3Y's CETARA-NF for natural farming in Himachal Pradesh.
