With a view to helping farmers sell their farm-fresh natural vegetables directly to the consumers, a new initiative ‘Natural Produce on Wheels’ under the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y) of the Department of Agriculture in Himachal Pradesh was launched.

With the launch of this initiative on a pilot basis by Secretary of Agriculture, C Paulrasu at the state Secretariat here on Friday, the consumers in the state capital Shimla will now get natural produce.

Speaking on the occasion he said the new initiative under the PK3Y will help the farmers and the consumers both.

“The mobile van will help the farmers take their chemical-free natural produce directly to the consumers,” he said.

Paulrasu said the natural farming technique is being adopted on a big scale by the farmers in Himachal Pradesh and the government will encourage the non-chemical low-cost natural farming technique in horticulture also.

To begin with, under the initiative ‘Natural Produce on Wheels’, the PK3Y is facilitating farmers of three development blocks around Shimla, namely Totu, Mashobra and Basantpur to sell their natural produce in mobile vans.

The van will be stationed in the State Secretariat, Himachal Pradesh University campus and Krishi Bhawan every Friday, where the consumers can buy chemical-free natural produce, including vegetables, fruits and some processed products like pickles and desi ghee.

The mobile van, which will take the produce to select places in Shimla, carried 10 quintal seasonal vegetables, fruits and other products on the inaugural day.

The initiative evinced a huge response among consumers, who came in great numbers to buy healthy chemical-free produce, including a variety of vegetables immediately after the launch.

PK3Y, State Project Director, Hemis Negi said the residents of Shimla can buy the natural produce at rates comparable with the market around them.

“We will gradually make naturally produced cereals also available to the consumers, along with vegetables and fruits. We will replicate the ‘Natural Produce on Wheels’ initiative at other locations in Shimla and in other districts based on the response,” he said

Negi said efforts are being made to provide the natural produce in local ‘mandis’ so that the consumers get the natural produce easily in routine. Besides, a marketing mechanism for natural produce is being worked out by organising the farmers to form Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) under PK3Y.

Seven FPCs have been formed in the state for natural produce and PK3Y is also focussing on the branding of natural produce and products.

As many as 1.71 lakh farmers are currently practicing natural farming technique in the state involving an area of over 24,000 hectare.

The impact evaluation studies by the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad and the Academy of Management Studies, Lucknow on the benefits of natural farming in agriculture in Himachal Pradesh have found that the average reduction in the cost of cultivation with natural farming technique is 36 per cent.

The studies have shown that the average increase in net returns/profits of farmers doing natural farming is 28.6 per cent. While 87 per cent of beneficiary farmers believed that natural farming has improved drought tolerance and water management of crops, the natural farming technique is said to have helped in better management of diseases in different crops, compared to other agriculture practices.

The state government is targeting to bring all the 9.61 lakh farmers in the state under natural farming so that Himachal Pradesh gets recognition as a ‘natural farming’ state.