Two guests of the NCUI who came to speak on the occasion of International Day of Cooperatives were like bulls in a china shop. Mauritius High Commissioner Mr Jagdish Goburdhan and the agricultural scientist Mr Subhash Palekar spoke against cooperatives encouraging extensive use of chemical fertilizers.
The main speaker Mr Subhas Palekar advocated the idea of what is known as zero budget farming and claimed that more than 40 lakh farmers have benefitted from the idea. He saw a great role of cooperatives in this area and exhorted the audience to subscribe to the idea.
“Instead of encouraging the farmers to use chemical fertilizer cooperatives should help them use cow dung. One cow is enough for 30 acres of land. You do not have to till land; you do not have to do anything; don’t you see how trees grow in jungle; are they fed with chemicals?” Palekar asked.
“One needs just 10 kg of cow dung in a month for an acre of land. Each gram of this dung has millions of micro-organisms capable of revitalizing the soil. You need just 10 percent of electricity and 10 percent of water in this mode
of farming” Palekar added.
Talking of the returns he said ” in case of Basmati rice while zero-budget farming gives returns of 18 to 24 quintal traditional method gives just 12 quintal and we sell it at double the rate. You know how; we go to big housing societies and offer them 1-2 kg rice free when they taste this chemical free rice they go mad after it and are ready to pay us double the rate”.
“In chemical farming you have 7 lakh suicides per year and here in our farming there is none as the cost of input is so less and returns are so high”, Palekar was sounding like a dream-seller.
Supporting him was his Highness Mr J Goburdhan. Quoting from his own experience he said ” he grows sugarcane following zero- budget farming of Palekar. He sells sugarcane juice and earns Rs 1.5 lakh from an acre whereas in India it fetches only Rs three thousand. And I do not have to sow the seed again and again and once shown it will last for more than 100 years. Such is the magic of zero-farming”, He underlined.
His Excellency Goburdhan wanted cooperatives to embrace zero-budget farming and said ” I can say so as I am an Overseas Citizen of India. I have a right on you; you are like my brothers, he said to a receptive audience who heard him in rapt attention.
Bijender Singh the sole cooperative leader had left by the time Palekar began to speak.
In India Ideas like Cow dung has another fall out too. The issue of beef will get shifted to more positive outlook for sure. Chemical manufacturing will be down sparing resources for better use. But such ideas unfortunately rot in some corners of Political corridoors. Agriculture and land are State subjects but Cow and Beef are national subjects. NaMo should Launch one more Yojna with a slogan GauMata Bachao our harek bhartiya ko Tandurasta banao-tan se aur Manse (Save Cow and let Every Indian become healthy mentally and phyisically).Jai Hind
I suggest that the views of M.S.Saminathan, another agro scientist (of Green revolution fame) be obtained and published so that the readers might get the whole spectrum of truth, on this subject.