Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], January 10 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while chairing a review meeting of the Agriculture department on Friday said that the state government is committed to promote natural farming and all possible efforts were being made in this direction, according to an official release. CM Sukhu directed the department to map farmers cultivating wheat and maize through natural farming methods across the state.CM Sukhu stated that all farms under the Agriculture department in the state would be fully developed for natural farming by next year, which would focus solely on producing seeds for natural farming, as per the release. He instructed for establishment of high-tech storage centres for wheat and maize produced through natural farming. He said that one lakh families would be linked with natural farming in the coming year and also directed to explore possibilities to set up a solar power plant in Tal at Hamirpur, as per the release. Sukhu said that data collection on natural farming practitioners would also be conducted at the block-level which would be integrated with the Him Parivar database. He said that Himachal Pradesh was on its way to becoming a leading state in natural farming and the state government was leaving no stone unturned to achieve this goal with a view to benefit maximum farming community. The Chief Minister said that for disease management in the crops grown naturally, it was important to adopt natural treatment methods. He stressed developing a certification process for natural farming seeds and directed the department to establish a high-end laboratory for testing soil and seeds to support natural farming initiatives.He also emphasised on strengthening of rural economy. He said that the state government was planning to open processing plants for turmeric and ginger. Apart from this, the government was also contemplating to start dairy-based degree courses at Chaudhary Sarvan Kumar Agricultural University, Palampur to encourage youth in this sector. For better marketing of products grown through natural farming, he instructed the department to coordinate with e-commerce platforms.The Chief Minister was apprised that 3,989 quintals of maize grown through natural farming was purchased during 2024-25 Kharif season. The target for the upcoming Rabi season has been set at 8050 quintals.Agriculture Minister Chander kumar, Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, MLA Sanjay Awasthi, Secretary to the CM Rakesh Kanwar, Secretary Agriculture C. Palrasu, Director, Digital Technology and Innovation Dr. Nipun Jindal, Director, Agriculture Kumud Singh, Secretary, Agriculture Marketing Board Hamis Negi, OSD to the CM Gopal Sharma and other senior officers were present in the meeting, the release stated. (ANI)