NEWS – The Union Cabinet has approved the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), a centrally-sponsored scheme to promote chemical-free farming.

HIGHLIGHTS

Budget and Funding

• Total Budget: ₹2,481 crore.
  • Centre’s Contribution: ₹1,584 crore.
  • States’ Contribution: ₹897 crore.
• Funding extends until 2025-26 under the 15th Finance Commission period.
• Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Objectives and Approach

• Promote natural farming (NF) as an alternative to chemical-based agriculture.
• Focus on:
  • Local livestock integration.
  • Natural farming inputs like Jeevamrit and Beejamrit.
  • Diversified cropping systems.
  • Agro-ecological principles and local knowledge.

Implementation Plan

• Clusters and Farmers
  • To be implemented in 15,000 clusters across gram panchayats.
  • Target: 1 crore farmers and 5 lakh hectares of farmland in 2 years.
• Model Demonstration Farms
  • Establish 2,000 NF model demonstration farms at:
    • Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs).
    • Agricultural universities (AUs).
    • Farmers’ fields.
  • Training by experienced farmer trainers.
• Farmer Training
  • Farmers trained on:
    • NF practices.
    • Preparation of NF inputs like Jeevamrit and Beejamrit.
  • 75 lakh farmers to produce or procure inputs from Bio-input Resource Centres (BRCs).
• Awareness Creation
  • Deploy 30,000 Krishi Sakhis/Community Resource Persons (CRPs) to spread awareness.