Indian Government launches programme to support sustainable agriculture

India's Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the launch of the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) programme to promote organic farming across the country. This is reported by ANI, a partner of TV BRICS.

Natural farming involves minimising the use of chemical fertilisers. The initiative is expected to reduce farmers' input costs, improve soil ecosystem and increase resilience to climate change.

The programme will cover 15,000 clusters in various states and about 10 million farmers, with a special focus on regions that already practice subsistence agriculture. The initiative will also set up 10 thousand specialised centres to provide inputs to farmers.

In addition, there will be 2 thousand demonstration farms where organic farming techniques can be learnt. Farmers will also be able to undergo a simplified certification procedure and participate in the branding initiative, which will ensure effective marketing of their products.

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