Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged farmers to adopt natural farming, warning that excessive use of chemicals in agriculture was damaging the soil and threatening the environment.
Addressing the India Today Group's Kisan Tak Bharat Agriculture Conference at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Modi appealed to farmers to reduce their dependence on chemical inputs. He specifically distinguished natural farming from organic farming, making it clear that his appeal was focused on the former.
"The way we are using chemicals, we are destroying Mother Earth. We are her children, and we are killing our own mother before our eyes," Modi said.
He cautioned that failure to protect agricultural land from chemical damage could have serious consequences for future generations. Referring to the earth as Mother Earth, he asked farmers whether they were doing enough to safeguard the natural resources on which agriculture and human life depend.
"I want to say something to my farmer brothers and sisters about two things: the food provider and Mother Earth. Are we protecting Mother Earth?" he asked.
"If we do not wake up in time, if we do not make efforts to protect our Mother Earth, a situation may arise when she abandons us before our very eyes," he added.
The conference brought together at least 2,000 farmers, agricultural scientists and industry representatives for a two-day discussion on agriculture and related issues.
Modi explained that natural farming and organic farming, although both associated with reduced chemical use, involve different approaches. Natural farming seeks to minimise dependence on externally purchased inputs and relies on locally available materials and traditional practices, including preparations made from cow dung, cow urine and plant-based ingredients.
Organic farming, on the other hand, permits the use of certain inputs such as vermicompost, enriched manure and biofertilisers. The distinction is also reflected in the Centre's separate programmes promoting the two methods.
The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, launched in 2015, supports organic farming, while the National Mission on Natural Farming, approved in November 2024 with an outlay of Rs 2,481 crore, promotes chemical-free cultivation. The Mission Organic Value Chain Development for the North Eastern Region also supports organic farming, certification, processing and marketing.
According to a 2026 parliamentary reply by the Agriculture Ministry, 18,786 natural farming clusters had been established across 8.80 lakh hectares, with 18.19 lakh farmers enrolled as of March 5. The natural farming mission provides incentives of Rs 4,000 per acre annually for two years, subject to a limit of one acre per farmer.
During Thursday's address, Modi also highlighted the Centre's expenditure on fertiliser subsidies, saying the government had spent Rs 16 lakh crore over the past 12 years to ensure that farmers received fertilisers at affordable prices.
He said a bag of DAP fertiliser that would otherwise cost around Rs 5,000 was being made available to farmers for approximately Rs 1,300. Similarly, a bag of urea costing around Rs 3,000 internationally was being supplied for less than Rs 300.
The Prime Minister also referred to technology that could help farmers assess their soil's requirements and determine the appropriate quantity of fertiliser to use. His remarks came a day after the Union Cabinet approved a subsidy allocation of Rs 62,370 crore for phosphatic and potassic fertilisers for the October 2026-March 2027 rabi season.
Modi's appeal followed years of concerns over the environmental and health consequences of chemical use in agriculture. In July 2026, the Agriculture Ministry issued a draft notification proposing a nationwide prohibition on paraquat, a highly toxic herbicide widely used in farming and banned in several countries.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly called for a shift towards natural farming. Addressing the National Conclave on Natural Farming in 2021, he had said agriculture needed to move away from the "lab of chemistry" and connect with the "lab of nature", stressing that natural farming was based on scientific principles.
At the South India Natural Farming Summit in Coimbatore in November 2025, he had also encouraged farmers to experiment with natural farming on one acre for one season before expanding the practice.
Thursday's address reiterated the government's stated objective of reducing farmers' dependence on chemical inputs, even as it continues to spend heavily on subsidies to keep conventional fertilisers affordable.