[ Bengia Ajum ]
YINGKIONG, 13 Aug: Far away from the hustle and bustle of towns and cities, a silent attempt towards turning picturesque Upper Siang district into the state’s first fully organic district has been initiated.
As part of the effort, a programme under the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihood Mission (DAY-NULM) was launched in May by the District Urban Development Agency (DUDA) in the district. A group of farmers were selected for training under this programme. The people who are leading the effort in this regard are senior organic grower teacher Mornya Gangkak and nodal officer Nanong Nongkar.
The farmers selected for the training are from the villages in and around Yingkiong town. The mission was to impart to them the concept of organic farming and how it is different from farming with chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
“The main motive behind this training was to encourage the farmers to practice organic farming and the importance of such farming. In today’s world, we are facing numerous health issues due to the quality of food that we consume. Also, the price of organic produce is always higher than those chemically grown. If the right market is found, the income generation of the farmers will be really good,” Gangkak told this daily.
The majority of the farmers who underwent the training are villagers who sell their produce on the streets, and some are small-scale farmers. They exhibited immense willingness to learn about organic farming.
“Even though they have a busy schedule, they never missed any class. The class was shifted to early morning, so that they could do their own work during the rest of the day. They actively participated in the class and shared their doubts and ideas regarding organic farming. After attending the training they are now serious about organic farming,” she added.
In their endeavour to turn Upper Siang into an organic district, the farmers have now pinned their hopes on the state government. They want the real farmers to get the benefits of subsidies.
“We want the government to provide us with biopesticides and biofertilizers, as well as disease resistant varieties of plants. Also, we should be provided subsidies with lower interests. Also, we look forward to more such programmes in the future to create awareness on organic farming,” said Ampi Lipir, a farmer.
She said that Health Minister Alo Libang, who is also a local MLA, has been encouraging them to take up organic farming.
The importance of organic farming has assumed significance with a growing number of cancer cases being reported in Arunachal Pradesh. According to DRDO scientist Dr Tsering Stobdan, in Ladakh, out of 3 lakh population, every year 30 cases of cancer have been registered.
Therefore, in 2019, they started the Sikkim model of organic farming, which consisted of three phases. Right now, they are about to reach the second phase. The main motive to transform Ladakh into an organic union territory was the rising number of stomach cancer cases and secondarily, it was to boost agri-tourism and achieve a sustainable employment generation.
“The state government should look into this matter as the central government is supporting hilly areas to become hubs for organic products. It will be a great boost if the state government supports such initiatives and organic farmers. Since organic certification is a costly affair, the government should help the farmers in acquiring it. Kiwi, plum, organic green tea and other horticulture and agriculture crops have a huge potential in Upper Siang district with its abundant space,” said Gangkak.
She added that “proper branding and labelling is required, after which the economy of Upper Siang will improve in a sustainable way, benefiting both the farmers and the consumers.”