No. 851/2025-PUB27th July 2025
The people of Pangi area are widely welcoming the decision of the State Government to formally declare the Pangi Sub-Division in Chamba district as the state’s first Natural Farming Sub Division, as they view it as a crucial step towards preserving their traditional farming practices, enhancing food security, and promoting sustainable livelihoods in the remote tribal valley. Fulfilling the announcement of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu made on the Himachal Day, a notification has been issued in this regard.
Raj Kumar, a resident of Dhanvas in the Pangi Valley, said, “This decision was long overdue, but it’s encouraging that the current state government has finally taken a step to ensure the welfare of the people in this region. We have seen families who leased out their land for cultivation while living outside Pangi now regretting it. The use of chemical-based farming has rendered their land barren.”
The notification issued has brought a sense of pride and hope among farmers of the area, many of whom have already begun adopting natural farming techniques, as currently around 2,244 farmer families are actively practicing chemical-free farming in the valley, and the government now plans to transition all 2,920 hectares of cultivated land, covering agriculture, horticulture, and other farming areas, to 100 percent natural farming.
Local farmers have welcomed this initiative, stating that natural farming has already shown promising results in improving soil health, reducing costs, and restoring ecological balance. They believe that this official recognition will bring greater visibility, institutional support, and market opportunities for their unique and naturally grown produce. Sheela Devi and Sunita Kumari from Punto village said, “We are not in a position to venture into entrepreneurship because we are not very well-off and own only small landholdings. But if we adopt chemical-free farming practices today, we will have something valuable to pass on to the next generations.”
Acting on the Chief Minister’s directive, the Agriculture Department has prepared a detailed roadmap focused on providing handholding support, training, and capacity building for the farmers. The initiative is being rolled out in a phased and decentralized manner. In the first phase, village-level planning, need assessments, and mobilization efforts will be carried out, followed by extensive training programs and on-ground demonstrations. To ensure timely access to natural farming inputs, Panchayat-level Bio-Input Resource Centres (BRCs) will be established, which will supply natural formulations such as Beejamrit, Jeevamrit, Dashparni Ark, and Agniastra etc. They will also function as community hubs for training and knowledge exchange, particularly supporting farmers who do not own cows, which are essential for preparing many of these inputs.
In the later phases, the initiative will focus on infrastructure development, including the construction of poly-houses, cold storage units, and other essential facilities. Additionally, the formation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) will be promoted to strengthen farmer institutions and collective bargaining power. To further empower farmers and ensure access to premium markets, the government will pursue Large Area Certification (LAC) under the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS-India). This community-based certification process, rooted in peer verification and participation, will enable entire villages to be recognized as organically managed zones.
Local leaders, SHG members and youth have expressed optimism that the initiative will also encourage tribal entrepreneurship, preserve heirloom seed varieties, and celebrate the region’s rich agro-cultural heritage. Deepak Kumar, Pradhan of Suraal Gram Panchayat, said, “This is a major step towards the economic growth of our area, as natural farming produce will fetch fair and remunerative prices for the hard work of our farmers. We are grateful to the state government, especially Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, for taking a personal interest in uplifting the region’s economy by promoting Natural Farming in Pangi Valley.”
A Spokesman of the State Government said that the present State Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was according priority for the development of the tribal areas of the State and launched various innovative schemes for the upliftment of the people. He said that the present government has organized the first Himachal Day function of its tenure at Kaza and the Chief Minister has himself been visiting the far-flung and hard areas of the State to know about the hardships being faced by the people under 'Sarkar Gaon Ke Dwar' initiative.
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