According to State Project Implementing Unit, total of 1,33,056 farmers are practicing natural farming in the state, either partially or fully, including 12,000 apple orchardists.
Apple grower Shakuntala Sharma in upper Shimla in Himachal Pradesh has reasons to smile. The apples she produced under natural conditions without the use of chemicals and fertilisers have fetched a record price of over Rs 100 per kg.
Shakuntalas orchard is located in Theog area, some 40 km from here. She is growing apples by adopting the Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF), a technique to do cultivation through non-chemical use, and this concept is gaining ground in the hill state where producers are particularly vulnerable to impacts of the Climate crisis, such as extreme heat, deficit and pest attacks.
According to the State Project Implementing Unit, a total of 1,33,056 farmers are practicing natural farming in the state, either partially or fully, involving 7,609 hectare. This includes 12,000 apple orchardists.