CM: Overuse of fertilizers hits health badly

Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that the excessive use of chemical fertilizers in a particular state had led to the need for a ‘Cancer Train’ there. The CM was referring to Punjab and a train that operates from Abhot to Bikaner, taking people to Rajasthan for reasonable cancer treatment.

“While the Green Revolution did boost agricultural production, this is only a part of the story. Excessive fertilizer is acting as a slow poison, affecting our health. This problem is not limited to humans. Animals and birds are also suffering from these side effects,” the CM said.

Speaking at the regional consultation programme on the science of natural farming in Lucknow, the CM said that there were numerous regions in the country which had achieved high agricultural production through natural methods.

Announcing that an agricultural university in UP would soon be dedicated to natural farming, the CM stressed on the need to preserve the natural form of agricultural products, from seed to market. He said that while the Green Revolution had significantly boosted foodgrain production, one should also consider production from natural farming in India during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Pointing to the stark contrast between modern farming practices of the last 100-150 years and the agricultural science of earlier times, the CM said: “We need to revisit historical methods. Although fertilizers temporarily increased production after the Green Revolution, now they are acting as a slow poison affecting our health.” The CM shared an incident from Amroha, where 12-14 cows suddenly died in a shelter. Investigations revealed that fertilizers had been extensively mixed with their fodder, leading to their deaths.

Revealing that many requests for assistance from the CM Relief Fund were related to cancer treatment, the CM said that such cases were relatively few some years back. Now, he added, in nearly every village there are individuals suffering from kidney problems, heart issues and cancer, which was due to changes in food habits.

Highlighting the progress made by the UP govt in the field of agriculture, the CM said that the state currently had four agricultural universities, with a fifth one under construction. Additionally, there are 89 Krishi Vigyan Kendras and two Central Agricultural Universities in UP.

He said that UP has nine climatic zones and the development of Krishi Vigyan Kendras as Centres of Excellence in each zone was going on. This initiative would promote the adoption of natural farming methods. “The Krishi Vigyan Kendras in UP have transformed significantly. Natural farming is being practised on one lakh acres in UP, with particularly promising results in Bundelkhand,” he added.