UP Cabinet okays plan to encourage natural farming in Bundelkhand

As many as 470 clusters will be developed covering an area of 23,500 hectares in next five years under the scheme, for which Rs 68.83 crore will be spent, said UP Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi.He told reporters that 47 development blocks of the seven districts will be covered to give a boost to natural farming.

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday cleared a proposal to encourage natural farming in all seven districts falling in the parched Bundelkhand region of the state. As many as 470 clusters will be developed covering an area of 23,500 hectares in next five years under the scheme, for which Rs 68.83 crore will be spent, said UP Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi.

He told reporters that 47 development blocks of the seven districts will be covered to give a boost to natural farming. ''In the first phase, 235 clusters at village-level will be developed. Each cluster will be of 50 hectares. Priority will be given to those farmers who own cows for farming or those who are willing to take cattle from cattle shelters,'' Shahi said. The UP minister said this will increase soil fertility and help get rid of the stray cattle menace. ''Apart from this, we will be able to give pesticide-free food to our people,'' Shahi said. Bundelkhand is a hilly region spread over Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The seven districts in Uttar Pradesh are Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Lalitpur, Jhansi, Jalaun and Chitrakoot.

Shahi added that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on many occasions said the state government will make Bundelkhand a hub for natural farming so that the products grown there could be sent to parts of the country and the world.