Pesticide free Rajasthan is the goal, farmers from more than 50 villages got educated: Suresh Rathi
Nagaur (Rajasthan) [India], December 27: The awareness campaign 'Mere Gaon Ki Mitti' which reached Nagaur from Delhi to make the farmers of the country aware of the ill effects of pesticides and to increase the income along with the quality of the crop, 'Ugao Shuddh, Khilao Shuddh' has made the farmers of more than 50 villages of Nagaur aware. Under the campaign, farmers were motivated to minimize the use of pesticides.
On this occasion, Suresh Rathi from the MDH family has made two very important announcements for the farmers of the whole country. The first announcement is that MDH will give additional price over the market price to those farmers whose produce will be as per the standards of the foreign market and the country's fixed market and in which pesticides will be found to be negligible.
Rathi said that MDH Group will buy IPM quality cumin at 15% more price than normal cumin and 20% more on fenugreek leaves than the market price. He said that IPM Group Chairman Rajiv Gulati wishes that there should be a facility of pesticide test at the time of crop purchase in Nagaur, for which an appeal has been made to the Rajasthan Government, District Administration, and ICAR for necessary cooperation in setting up a lab.
Suresh Rathi said that more than 3000 farmers in 50 villages have become a part of the awareness campaign so far and are taking a pledge that they will use pesticides as little as possible. As an industry, it is our responsibility to make farmers aware of the problems being faced in the business and ensure that pure food reaches the consumers. He said that MDH Group is following the path shown by late Mahashay Dharampal Gulati and is taking his concept forward under the leadership of company chairman Rajiv Gulati. We are confident that soon not only Nagaur but the whole of Rajasthan will be pesticide free.
Sharad Rathi told that MDH already processes spices with less pesticide. There is a need for a lab and new technology to test pesticides, on which the company is working. The company will soon build a lab in Nagaur so that the quality of the farmers' produce can be tested in Nagaur itself and they get more money than the market price for the right product. He told that work is being done to run the Mere Gaon Ki Mitti campaign in other parts of the country as well. To make Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of organic India come true, "Mere Desh Ki Mitti Jagrukta Rath" has been started. This campaign is making the farmers of the whole country aware of the ill effects of pesticides. Agricultural scientists are reaching the fields and listening to their problems and telling them how to get quality crops without pesticides.
Suresh Manchandha said that the total export of spices from India in the year 2023-24 is $ 4.46 billion, which shows that if the spice industry and the government together educate the farmers about pesticides, then by 2030 the Indian spice business can be worth $ 20 billion. That is, 5 times increase in 5 years. Rajasthan has an excellent crop of cumin, red chilli, coriander, fenugreek seeds, fenugreek leaves. Farmers also want their products to be sold at a fair price in foreign markets. It is worth noting that on December 5, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Chaudhary launched the 'Mere Gaon Ki Mitti' awareness campaign in Delhi. More than 50 villages of Nagaur have been educated in about 20 days.
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