Haryana to launch natural farming on 2,000-acre cluster in Kurukshetra

Kurukshetra: Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday announced that the state govt will launch natural farming across a 2,000-acre cluster in Kurukshetra district under a Smart Agriculture Scheme in collaboration with Haryana Agricultural University. He said farmers participating in the project would be compensated for any losses incurred during the transition.Addressing a state-level programme on natural farming promotion and cluster formation at Kurukshetra University's Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Sadan, Saini said natural farming was rooted in India's traditional agricultural practices and was essential for protecting soil health, water resources and public health. The event was jointly inaugurated by Saini and Gujarat governor Acharya Devvrat.Saini said nearly two lakh farmers had registered around three lakh acres on Haryana's natural farming portal. Of these, 23,930 farmers covering 44,077 acres had been verified, while natural farming was undertaken on 20,727 acres during 2025-26.The chief minister announced that around 800 acres of agriculture department land would be leased only to farmers willing to undertake natural and organic farming for at least 10 years. Similar measures are being planned for panchayat-owned land, he said. Dedicated market spaces, testing laboratories and certification facilities would also be created to improve market access for natural and organic produce.He also announced that the subsidy for purchasing indigenous cows had been increased to Rs 30,000 for eligible farmers. According to the govt, Rs 75 lakh has been disbursed to 2,500 farmers for purchasing storage drums, while Rs 2.97 crore has been provided for the purchase of 1,171 indigenous cows under the natural farming scheme.Saini said natural farming training centres had been established at Gurukul Kurukshetra, Hameti in Jind, Mangeana in Sirsa and Gharaunda in Karnal. So far, 12,188 participants, including farmers, women and govt employees, have been trained, while 6,234 sarpanches have received online training.He also announced that Morni block would be developed as a model natural and organic farming block and reiterated that Haryana continued to procure all 24 crops at minimum support price (MSP).Addressing the gathering, Acharya Devvrat urged farmers to adopt natural farming, saying excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides had damaged soil fertility and adversely affected human health. He highlighted the 180-acre natural farming model at Gurukul Kurukshetra, where farmers are trained in cow-based farming techniques.Agriculture minister Shyam Singh Rana said chemical-free agriculture would play an important role in achieving the goal of a developed India by 2047. Senior officials, scientists, public representatives and farmers attended the programme.