Governor milks cow in Ankleshwar, urges farmers to rear indigenous breeds

On the second day of his two-day visit to Bharuch district, Governor Acharya Devvrat visited the natural farming model farm of progressive farmer Balwantbhai Amidas Patel in Divi village of Ankleshwar taluka. There, he personally milked a cow and emphatically urged farmers to rear indigenous cow breeds.

The Governor inspected various crops grown on the farm, including guava, chikoo, drumstick, banana, mango, sweet neem, and climbing vegetables such as brinjal and bottle gourd. He expressed satisfaction after observing the quality of the crops.

During his interaction with the farmers, the Governor stated that the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides destroys useful earthworms and microorganisms in the soil. Consequently, farmers are forced to add external elements like nitrogen, potash, and phosphorus. According to him, chemical farming degrades the soil, whereas natural farming makes it fertile. He warned that if chemical farming continues, fertile land will not remain for future generations. Natural farming reduces costs and doubles income; many farmers in Gujarat are earning lakhs of rupees annually with less labour and lower expenditure.

The Governor noted that more than 8 lakh farmers across Gujarat and over 20,000 in Bharuch district are adopting natural farming. To ensure farmers get access to markets and citizens receive chemical-free farm produce, the state government has started more than 1200 sales centres, of which 49 are operational in Bharuch district. On the occasion of Vijayadashami, he administered a pledge to farmers to abandon chemical farming and adopt natural farming. Senior officials from the Agriculture Department and the administration, the model farm farmer and his family members, and local farmers were present during the visit.