Thu Nov 20 06:50:00 UTC 2025: News Article:
Modi Hails India’s Rise as Natural Farming Hub at Coimbatore Summit
COIMBATORE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared India is rapidly becoming a global leader in natural farming during the inauguration of the South India Natural Farming Summit 2025 in Coimbatore on Wednesday. He emphasized the shift in youth perception, viewing agriculture as a modern, scalable opportunity that will bolster the rural economy.
Speaking at the Codissia Hall event, Modi highlighted the success of the National Mission on Natural Farming, launched a year ago. He noted that approximately 35,000 hectares of land in Tamil Nadu alone are now dedicated to organic and natural farming practices, emphasizing that this movement is rooted in Indian tradition and environmental consciousness.
“Natural farming is an indigenous Indian concept not imported from elsewhere but born out of our tradition and aligned to our environment,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of integrating millet cultivation with natural farming. He mentioned the offering of ‘thenum thinai maavum’ (honey and foxtail millet flour) to Lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu, highlighting the cultural significance of millets. Modi asserted the government’s commitment to promoting millets globally through natural and chemical-free farming methods.
In a lighter vein, Modi alluded to the NDA’s past victory in the Bihar poll and bright prospects for the alliance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in 2026, suggesting the enthusiasm of farmers present was reminiscent of the “Bihar winds.” He also playfully lamented not learning Tamil as a child, making it difficult to understand a passionate speech delivered in Tamil by PR Pandian, president of the Coordination Committee of All Farmers Association of TN.
During the summit, the Prime Minister released the 21st installment of PM-KISAN, disbursing over Rs 18,000 crore to support nine crore farmers nationwide. He reported that Rs 4 lakh crore has been directly transferred to small farmers’ bank accounts. He also noted the near doubling of agricultural exports over the last 11 years and highlighted the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme, which has provided farmers with assistance exceeding Rs 10 lakh crore this year, extending benefits to livestock and fisheries sectors.
The summit also saw K Ramasamy, convener of the farming summit, urging Modi to give nationwide recognition to organic farming experts G Nammazhvar of TN and Subhash Palekar of Maharashtra and PR Pandian urging the PM to confer Bharat Ratna on Nammazhvar.
Modi concluded by expressing his appreciation for the knowledge he gained from interacting with farmers at the exhibition of organic farming products, noting their diverse backgrounds and innovative approaches. He also urged the state government to promote multicropping on the lines of Kerala and Karnataka.
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