There is much in a name, ask Subhash Palekar on natural farming

In her first Budget 2019-20 presented on 5 July 2019, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had spoken with much fanfare about doubling the farmers’ income through Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). In the Budget for the next financial year (2022-23), she has announced making a five-kilometre corridor of chemical-free natural farming, i.e., organic farming, on the banks of Ganga.

What is interesting, however, is that Subhash Palekar, under whose formula ZBNF was talked about, has distanced himself from it. Besides, he has said that natural farming is not his technology. Terming organic farming as destructive, he has said that it is even more dangerous than chemical farming. However, the government says that organic farming is being promoted to increase the farmers’ income. A state like Sikkim has even announced itself to be fully organic.

All this has been revealed in a letter written by Subhash Palekar to the Director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi. He has categorically said in the letter that he would not cooperate with IARI on natural farming.  

The chain of events started with a letter written by the IARI Director to Palekar. In reply, Palekar wrote to the IARI Director, saying, “You have mentioned that ICAR will scientifically validate Natural Farming…. that Natural Farming is not my technology….  So, I clarify that … Natural Farming … is not my technology.”  He goes on to say that Natural Farming which is famous throughout the world is the technology of famous Japanese agri-entomologist late Dr Masanobu Fukuoka. So, this Natural Farming does not exist throughout the world as a model. He says further, “So it is 100 per cent untruth; I cannot support any untruth at any cost.”

The letter says further, “Before 2017, the name of my technology was Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). But when I saw that ZBNF is not a truth, because, in any technology and any crop, zero budget is not possible, so I have changed the name of my technology and in 2017 have given the new name Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF), and this new name has been accepted by millions of my global followers.”

Subhash Palekar then adds in the letter that after changing the name, in his meeting with Rajiv Kumar, vice-chairman of Niti Aayog, Agriculture Secretary and Agriculture Minister, he had informed that he had changed the name and that the new name was Subhash Palekar Natural Farming. But, he says, “they have not accepted this new name. That means Government of India has not accepted Subhash Palekar.” Therefore, he says, no question arises about his support. Both Natural Farming and ZBNF, says Palekar, do not exist as a model globally. And therefore, he infers, it would be totally impossible for him to support ICAR in this concern.

Palekar further asks in the letter how the champions of organic farming validate natural farming. Organic farming, writes Palekar, is more dangerous, destructive and exploitative than chemical farming. It is responsible for global warming and climate change. It destroys the fertility and productivity of the soil.

Significantly, the Finance Minister had said in the Budget that she proposed on 5 July 2019 that the government would promote natural farming. This technique has the potential to double the farmers’ income in the 75th year of Indian independence. She then mentioned this in the subsequent Budget, too. Again, in the Budget presented for next year on 1 February 2022, she emphasized natural farming and announced making a five-kilometre corridor of chemical-free natural farming, i.e., organic farming, on the banks of Ganga. Given this scenario, the points mentioned in the Palekar letter are raising questions because one has seen the example of the Palekar model being cited for natural farming on a large scale. But when the ICAR said about validating the Natural Farming model at a scientific level, Palekar distanced himself from it.

Speaking to Rural Voice on this issue, a reputed agriculture scientist said that the points mentioned in the said letter by Subhash Palekar might lead anyone to confusion. The biggest confusion will be that for the government, which is projecting natural farming and organic farming as a significant option for increasing the farmers’ income and advocating for these. Curiously, the person whose formula served for years as the basis for the announcement of policies is now speaking against these.