HYDERABAD: Praising organic farming as a successful technique that saves farmers from debt trap and makes them self-reliant, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, on Friday, said that those opposed to organic farming must get down from their high horses and look at the success that farmers utilising the technique are reaping.
He was addressing an event organised by the Eklavya Foundation at Lingapur village of Adilabad district, that was attended by farmers practising organic farming in various parts of Adilabad. The RSS chief said that organic farming required far less financial input than modern techniques, as in organic farming there was no requirement for farmers to buy imported and costly fertilisers, pesticides or seeds. He said that farmers taking up modern farming techniques would continue to incur losses even if they received MSP.
Not enslaved by companies
He added that farmers practising organic farming had their own seeds and were not enslaved by private seed companies like in the case of farmers using genetically modified BT seeds. Bhagwat said, “The benefit of organic farming is not just limited to the fact that the soil quality does not degrade but also crop rotation ensures that the quality improves.”
The cancer train
Bhagwat said modern farming techniques requiring artificial fertilisers and pesticides, were responsible for the degradation of soil and causing cancer among the farmers. He gave the example of the ‘cancer train’, a train that ferries passengers between Bhatinda in Punjab and Bikaner in Rajasthan, a considerable number of whom are cancer patients.
Brits to blame
The RSS chief said that due to organic farming, India was top in agricultural production for thousands of years, even during the Mughal rule. However, this changed with the arrival of Britishers, who caused two famines in India, he added.