'We want to make Madhya Pradesh, the country's first model organic farming state,' said Madhya Pradesh agriculture development minister Ramkrishna Kusumaria.
Three days before the Centre's possible announcement over its decision on Bt Brinjal, Madhya Pradesh agriculture development minister Ramkrishna Kusumaria today reiterated that genetically modified (GM) crops have no place in the state.
"I have already written a letter to the Centre against the commercialisation of Bt Brinjal in country as it wasn't good for human health and environment", the minister told PTI.
"We want to make Madhya Pradesh, the country's first model organic farming state," Kusmaria added.
He said that the state government has prepared a detailed organic farming policy and it will be announced in a week or two.
Organic farming was being carried out in 4.25 lakh hectares of area, he said adding that there was a need to increase this area.
Kusumaria said that the chemical fertilisers and pesticides have affected the agriculture land in last 30-40 years.
Meanwhile Organic Farming Association of India's (OFAI) Northern India Unit Director Bhartendu Prakash has claimed that the productivity of the fertile land in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh has dipped following the unchecked use of chemical fertiliser.
"A wrong impression was being created that the country can't strengthen its food security without the help of GM crops and chemical fertilisers," Prakash told PTI.
"We have to decide whether we need good organic farming produce or poisonous crops?" he quipped.
He said that OFAI was ready to provide labelling facility to the organic farming produce which in turn will benefit the consumers.
By this the consumers will know whether the produce was from organic farming or not.
Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh during the seventh public hearing on the introduction of Bt Brinjal in Bangalore yesterday said that all public consultations were over and a decision on the issue will be announced on February 10.
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