Shimla, Jul 28 (IANS): The government in Himachal Pradesh, whose economy largely banks on agriculture and horticulture, on Sunday announced to procure chemical-free wheat and maize from the farmers at a minimum support price of Rs 40 and Rs 30 per kg, respectively, the highest price in the country.

A government spokesperson said that the Rajiv Gandhi Natural Farming Startup scheme, launched in the Budget with an outlay of Rs 50 crore, will go a long way in enhancing farmers' income.

In the first phase of the scheme which aims to connect around 36,000 farmers with natural farming, 10 farmers from each panchayat will be encouraged to adopt chemical-free farming.

The spokesperson said currently, 178,643 families of farmers and horticulturalists have adopted natural farming and the government aims to connect 9.61 lakh families with natural farming.

Under the scheme, Rs 1,275.31 lakh were spent in 2023-2024, benefiting 37,087 farmers by bringing 13,176 hectares under natural farming.

The spokesperson said ten markets have been designated for selling natural farming products and infrastructure is being developed.

To ensure transparency between the farmers and consumers, an innovative initiative has been launched, under which, over 76,000 farmers have been registered for natural farming and 74,283 farmers have been issued certificates.

The spokesperson added that the state government also provides up to Rs 10,000 for opening a natural farming resource centre in each village.