Jalgaon: District Collector Rohan Ghuge said that while celebrating the Pola festival, which honours farmers, with traditional faith and enthusiasm, it is important to integrate modern practices and eco-friendly methods into agriculture.
The Pola festival was organised at Pilkheda through the joint efforts of the Agriculture Department and Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA), Jalgaon. The District Collector celebrated the festival with farmers and interacted with beneficiaries of the National Mission on Natural Farming.
District Superintending Agriculture Officer Kurban Tadvi said that increasing the use of natural and organic inputs along with traditional farming methods is essential for improving soil health and reducing production costs. He said technical guidance and benefits of various schemes are being provided to farmers through the Agriculture Department and ATMA under the National Mission on Natural Farming.
He added that the Bio-Input Resource Centre (BIRC) established at Pilkheda would serve as an important centre for promoting natural farming among farmers in the area.
Ghuge inspected the Bio-Input Resource Centre and inaugurated it. The centre aims to make essential biological inputs for natural farming, including Jeevamrut, Beejamrut and botanical extracts, available at the local level.
The District Collector interacted with farmers selected under the National Mission on Natural Farming to understand their challenges and urged them to take maximum benefit of Agriculture Department schemes.
During the event, villagers of Pilkheda and farmers took a collective pledge to avoid excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, with the aim of promoting "toxin-free farming and a stress-free life".
Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer Harshada Desale, Taluka Agriculture Officer Snehal Theuurkar, Circle Agriculture Officer Sharad Patil, Deputy Agriculture Officer Yogesh Atre, Sarpanch Rohini Salunkhe, Tejal Chaudhary and Dr Atul Chaudhary were present on the occasion, along with officials and staff from the Agriculture and Revenue departments, Krishi Sakhis (women agriculture facilitators) and local farmers.
