Tohu Village: Inspiration For Himachal’s Farmers

Vijay Sharma

(The writer is based at Himmar, Hamirpur)

The mention of Tohu village of Bhoranj block in Hamirpur district by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in ‘Mann ki baat’ programme aired on radio brought proud moments for the entire state. And farmers of Tohu village deserve all applause for this achievement. They have increased their crop productivity by four times and increased income by Rs. 6000 per acre through the use of organic manure. Farmers of rest of Himachal can take inspiration from this village and could shift towards organic farming. Both farmers financial condition and environmental issues could be addressed if farmers succeeds to make Himachal an organic state alike Sikkim.

Organic farming has attracted educated youth from all over the country towards itself. In fact it has brought considerable change in attitude of youth towards agriculture and horticulture. In the recent past IIM and IIT educated youth has also shifted attention from multinational companies to organic farming and allied business. After Sikkim and Kerala, Himachal is another state where the inclination of farmers have shifted towards organic farming. It has opened new avenues of development for the youths and they are feeling proud by associating with agriculture, horticulture, dairy farming and poultry farming profession.        Organic farming involves use of cow dung, vermi-compost, bio fertilizers and crop rotation technique etc instead of use of synthetic manure, pesticides etc in inorganic farming. This helps in achieving more yield in less land in low cost as compared to traditional farming methods. It also preserves the necessary nutrient elements of the crop and keeps away the harmful chemicals. Besides this, organic farming needs less water and preserves the fertility of soil for a longer period. Organic farming is implemented in Hamirpur, Kangra, Una, Bilaspur and Mandi in first phase with cooperation from Japan International Cooperation Agency. The agriculture department and CSK HP Agriculture university in Palampur are also contributing in promoting organic farming in the state.

Vermi-compost plays an important role in promoting organic farming. This is the reason why state government is providing 50% subsidy on establishing vermi-compost unit. More than 40,000 farmers are registered under organic farming in the state and about 22,000 hectares of land have been brought under organic farming. This figure is expected to cross 25,000 mark by March 31, 2018. A little more impetus from state government in form of easy loans, high quality seeds and agricultural equipment could further help the state achieve fully organic state tag soon.

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