IIVR scientists launch village campaign to promote bio-fertilisers in Purvanchal

Varanasi: As many as eight teams of scientists from the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR) are travelling village after village across Purvanchal, setting up awareness camps, conducting demonstrations and farmer interactions, distributing pamphlets on balanced fertiliser use, and motivating cultivators by providing microbial bio-fertiliser kits.

Officials described the initiative as the final and decisive link in the nationwide campaign to reduce Indian agriculture’s costly dependence on chemical fertilisers.

Under the campaign being led by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), more than 2,500 farmers have already been reached so far, and the drive will continue till June 30.

Scientists warned that excessive use of chemical fertilisers is contributing to deteriorating soil quality, declining productivity, chemical residues in food, increasing farming costs and shrinking profit margins for cultivators.

“By joining this campaign and adopting microbial bio-fertilisers, farmers can reduce their dependence on chemical fertilisers by up to 25 percent. This means a direct reduction in farmers’ production costs and also lowers the fertiliser subsidy burden on the country,” said D.P. Singh, Principal Scientist at IIVR.

Farmers are also being provided with personalised fertiliser advisories based on the actual nutrient requirements of their fields instead of generic recommendations.

“Farmers are being encouraged to attend the camps, understand their soil health, learn how excessive chemical use is changing the natural properties of their land and explore sustainable alternatives to preserve soil fertility. This issue is directly linked to their farms, family health and the future of coming generations,” said Rajesh Kumar, Director of IIVR.