Shimla: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched a simplified registration form for farmers to enrol in natural farming in Himachal Pradesh. The initiative, unveiled during the MLAs’ priorities meeting, aims to streamline the registration process, making it accessible both online and offline.

The Chief Minister stated that interested farmers can now easily connect with natural farming through this form, which will collect specific details about their land, crops, livestock, and training in natural farming. These forms will be distributed across all Panchayats in the State to encourage wider participation. Sukhu expressed confidence that this initiative would significantly enhance natural farming practices in Himachal Pradesh during 2025-26.

Highlighting the government’s commitment to promoting naturally grown produce, the Chief Minister revealed that the State recently procured 398.976 metric tonnes of naturally grown maize from 1,508 farmers at Rs 30 per kg, the highest Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the country. A similar procurement strategy will be adopted for naturally produced wheat, which will be bought at an MSP of Rs 40 per kg in the upcoming season.

Additionally, naturally grown maize flour is being marketed under the brand name ‘Him Bhog.’ So far, 38.225 metric tonnes of maize flour have been sold through 1,054 Fair Price Shops, while another 73.52 metric tonnes have been distributed via the Wholesale units of HP State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd as of February 1, 2025.

Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister Chander Kumar noted that ATMA staff will conduct field verification of the forms submitted by farmers. These forms will be integrated into the CETARA-NF (Certified Evaluation Tool of Agriculture Resources Analysis of Natural Farming) portal under the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y) to facilitate further analysis and implementation.

The State government’s renewed focus on natural farming is expected to provide a boost to sustainable agricultural practices, ensuring better returns for farmers while promoting environmentally friendly cultivation methods.