Mauritius: The launch ceremony of the Zero Budget Natural Farming Scheme was held yesterday at the Maison des Eleveurs Training Centre in St Pierre.
The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun; the Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah; and other stakeholders were present at the event.
The Zero Budget natural farming provides an alternative low-cost farming method, aligned with the principles of agroecology and requiring no agrochemicals as it relies on cow-based natural inputs.
Under the Zero Budget Natural Farming Scheme, implemented by the Cooperatives Division of the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, some 10 cooperative societies will receive a grant of maximum Rs 100,000 each for the purchase of cows and construction of cow sheds, as announced in Budget 2022-2023.
A seven-minute video on the techniques and benefits of Zero Budget natural farming was presented at the launch ceremony.
Jiwamrita, a soil enhancement treatment which is prepared from cow dung, urine, jaggery, pulse flour and uncontaminated soil, was distributed as well to cooperators.
In her speech, the Vice-Prime Minister praised those farmers who had adopted innovative approaches such as agroecology, not only as a means to increase productivity but also to enhance the quality of life of the population through the provision of safe and healthy agricultural products.
According to Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun, Zero Budget natural farming promotes agricultural practices that would protect the health of both planters and consumers and boost crop yields through the use of non-synthetic inputs. She recalled, in contrast, the negative ecological effects of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, including the pollution of water bodies and soil degradation, as well as the dire impacts on health, leading to cancer, skin diseases and other illnesses.
The Vice-Prime Minister thus commended the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives for initiating such endeavours that would benefit cooperatives and the population at large.
In addition, Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun pointed out that cooperatives were an ideal platform for sharing ideas and working collaboratively in the interest of all parties. She also highlighted the various capacity-building activities by the National Co-operative College to assist farmers and other entrepreneurs in progressing further.
For his part, the Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, informed that the Zero Budget natural farming originated from Andhra Pradesh in India and that it enabled farmers there to produce higher yields at lower costs. He laid emphasis, too, on the benefits of using agroecological methods such as Zero Budget natural farming to increase productivity, enhance soil quality, protect health and the environment, and ensure the sustainability of the agricultural sector.
Moreover, Minister Bholah urged entrepreneurs to avail themselves of the facilities and programmes implemented by the Government to empower them and contribute to the valorisation of their products and respective sector.