NELLORE: The area under Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) has been steadily increasing in the Nellore district. According to official sources, 53,764 farmers are practising natural farming and raising 18 varieties of crops on 67,356 acres. A majority of farmers in Udayagiri, Atmakur and Kavali have switched to Zero Budget Natural Farming, attracted by its benefits, including a reduction in cultivation cost and good crop yield.
The Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) has been creating awareness among farmers about the benefits of natural farming methods. Crops are being raised using natural farming methods in 222 villages of 46 mandals in the erstwhile Nellore district.
The Agriculture Department selected 110 villages and supplied Jeevamrut, Beejamrutha, Neemamrutha, Brahmastram, Agniastram, Ajolla and other inputs used for natural farming last year. Now, it is planning to increase the crop acreage under natural farming to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
Women farmers are also getting attracted to natural farming and have started raising paddy, sorghum, ragi, black gram, red gram, green gram, sesame, Bengal gram, coriander, millets and vegetables, which include bottle gourd, beetroot, ladies finger, cluster beans, red chillies, cucumber, pumpkin and sweet potatoes.
“I started cultivating crops using natural farming methods in 2017. I have been cultivating paddy on seven acres, mango in three acres and red gram on two acres. The cost of cultivation has come down by nearly 50% with the application of natural farming methods, compared to the use of chemical fertilisers. Even the demand for the organic products is quite high in the open market,” said K Siva, a farmer from Atmakur.
Consumers, particularly in urban areas, have been showing interest to use organic products. The use of organic food products has increased after the Covid pandemic. Observing the trend, several farmers have switched over to organic farming and set up stalls in the urban areas to market the produce.
“Some customers are insisting on organic rice, pulses and vegetables for special occasions at home. The number of customers using organic products has been steadily increasing for the past two years,” said K Sukumar, who runs an organic product outlet.
A group of farmers has formed Simhapuri Sendriya Utpathula Sangham to sell naturally grown vegetables and other organic food products to customers.
“We are encouraging farmers to practise natural farming methods. With the State government aiming to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers, farmers are showing keenness to shift to ZBNF. We have been promoting awareness about natural farming among farmers in a big way,” said an official of APCNF.