GURUGRAM, 8 July 2025: In a significant move to support sustainable agriculture, Haryana has become the first state in India to establish a grain market exclusively for crops grown using natural farming methods.
The initiative aims to institutionalise market support for chemical-free, cost-effective, and eco-friendly farming systems that are gaining traction across the country.
Speaking at the launch, Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana said the newly established grain mandi in Gurgaon will offer a dedicated procurement mechanism for crops cultivated through natural farming practices.
A laboratory has also been set up within the market premises to assess the quality of the produce. “Once the quality is verified, a committee will decide the price and purchase the crop accordingly,” the minister said.
Currently, natural farming is being practised on 10,000 acres in the state. The government has set a target of expanding this to 1 lakh acres, out of the total 93 lakh acres under cultivation in Haryana.
The government is also offering a subsidy of INR 30,000 to farmers adopting natural farming, specifically to support the purchase of cows, which are integral to the resource-recycling methods promoted in the practice.
Natural farming, rooted in Indian agricultural traditions, emphasises zero use of chemical inputs, resource optimisation, and enhanced soil fertility. It is viewed as a pathway toward rural employment generation and ecological balance.
Haryana already leads the country in terms of procurement under the Minimum Support Price (MSP), buying 24 crops — the highest among all states. The new mandi system extends this support to naturally grown crops, encouraging a shift towards regenerative practices.
