10 Lakh hectares in India under Natural Farming
05 November 2022, New Delhi: As per the data released by Department of Agriculture under Ministry of Agriculture, New Delhi, the total area under Natural Farming in India is 10 lakh hectares in 15 states. The total farmers practicing natural farming within in these states is estimated to be 16.78 lakhs.
The largest area under natural farming has been reported from Gujarat (3.17 lakh hectares) followed by Andhra Pradesh (2.9 lakh hectares) and Madhya Pradesh (1.11 lakh hectares). The state reporting largest area under natural farming did not report proportional farmer base practicing natural farming as there is a variation in state wise land holding dynamics.
Even though Gujarat reported the highest area under natural farming, Andhra Pradesh reported 6.30 lakh farmers practicing natural farming which is highest across India. Andhra Pradesh was followed by Kerala which reported 3.42 lakh farmers practicing natural farming. Kerala was followed by Gujarat which reported 2.49 lakh farmers practicing natural farming.
National Mission on Natural Farming
To spread the awareness and techniques of natural farming among farmers, the states have conducted more than 22 thousand trainings. National Mission on Natural Farming is steered through a National Steering Committee (NSC) under the Chairmanship of Agriculture Minister. NSC will be the policy making body providing overall direction and guidance to Mission, monitor and review its progress and performance. NSC will be empowered to lay down and amend operational guidelines.
Below table shows state wise total area under Natural Farming and number of farmers practicing it.
| S. No. | Name of the State | Area in Ha | No. of practicing farmers |
| 1 | ANDHRA PRADESH | 2,90,000 | 6,30,000 |
| 2 | BIHAR | 311 | 137 |
| 3 | GUJARAT | 3,17,201 | 2,49,801 |
| 4 | HARYANA | 7,931 | 2,992 |
| 5 | HIMACHAL PRADESH | 9,421 | 1,71,063 |
| 6 | JAMMU AND KASHMIR | 12,120 | 3,850 |
| 7 | JHARKHAND | 50 | 40 |
| 8 | KARNATAKA | 2,000 | 4,400 |
| 9 | KERALA | 79,769 | 3,42,902 |
| 10 | MADHYA PRADESH | 1,11,000 | 59,071 |
| 11 | MAHARASHTRA | 74,000 | 82,000 |
| 12 | ODISHA | 24,000 | 27,009 |
| 13 | PUNJAB | 2,217 | 1,853 |
| 14 | RAJASTHAN | 9,000 | 36,213 |
| 15 | TAMIL NADU | 2,000 | 2,360 |
| 16 | TELANGANA | 2,403 | 2,002 |
| 17 | UTTAR PRADESH | 62,200 | 63,000 |
| Total | 10,05,623 | 16,78,693 |
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