India: Himachal to procure up to 20 quintals of naturally grown wheat at Rs 40 per kg

(MENAFN- IANS) Shimla, Aug 9 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh government will procure up to 20 quintals of naturally grown grains per family at a rate of Rs 40 per kg for wheat and Rs 30 per kg for maize, officials said on Friday. This initiative is a part of the HIM-UNNATI scheme, which is aimed at promoting natural farming in the state. With an allocation of Rs 150 crore, this scheme will bolster the efforts of approximately 1.92 lakh farmers already practising chemical-free farming on over 32,149 hectares. The programme will focus on making the Agriculture sector economically viable through a cluster-based development model and promoting natural farming. Under HIM-UNNATI, the government will consolidate small-holding farmers to enable bulk production, ensuring a sufficient marketable surplus. The initiative will also integrate various ongoing agricultural schemes and coordinate with departments such as Animal Husbandry, Horticulture, Fisheries, and Rural Development to maximize the ...