Calling upon farmers to adopt natural farming as “chemical farming has adversely affected people’s health”, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday said that expert committees will be set up in every district to promote natural farming and change the direction of agriculture practices in the state.Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, along with other dignitaries, participates in the "Natural Farming Dialogue Program", in Panchkula on Wednesday. (ANI)The primary responsibility of these committees--Prakriti Shri Anna Prerak Kisan Committees---will be to reach out to farmers, visit their farms and coordinate with the government to connect the cultivators with natural farming.“They (committees) will, in effect, serve as ambassadors of natural farming,” Saini said addressing the ‘Prakritik kheti Samvad’, organised by the Haryana agriculture and farmers’ welfare department.The announcement to set up expert panels in districts to promote natural farming comes close on the heels of the state government deciding to formulate a policy next year to promote natural and organic farming on land owned by panchayats. About 800-acre land that the agriculture department owns will be leased only to farmers committed to practicing natural and organic farming on such land for the next 10 years.The Haryana government had launched a natural farming scheme in 2022 and so far about 2 lakh farmers have registered approximately 3 lakh acre land on the portal meant for this purpose. While 23,930 farmers covering 44,077-acre have been verified for adopting natural farming, during 2025–26 fiscal natural farming was practiced on 20,727-acre across the state, as per official data.The government has set up natural farming training centres at Gurukul (Kurukshetra); Hameti (Jind); Mangiana (Sirsa) and Gharaunda in Karnal.“Natural farming is not merely a method of cultivation but a campaign to restore the bond between farmers, nature and society that has weakened over time. It is a means of serving mother earth, reducing the cost of cultivation, conserving water and soil and securing a safe future for coming generations,” Saini said, urging farmers to become ambassadors of natural farming.“The time has come to not merely deliberate but to act and inspire others to adopt natural farming,” said Saini, who also interacted with farmers and assured them that the suggestions received from them will be implemented at the earliest.He directed officers of the agriculture department to release the subsidy to farmers practising natural farming who have applied for assistance to purchase cows.“The changing lifestyles, chemical farming and natural imbalance have adversely affected people’s health. Therefore, changing the direction of agriculture has become the need of the hour,” he said, urging farmers to become ambassadors of natural farming and spread awareness about its benefits in every village.Saini assured farmers that they will not face any difficulty in marketing produce grown through natural farming. The government has already announced that separate space will be provided in agricultural mandis for naturally grown produce and that HAFED will procure it. Necessary arrangements are being made for the purpose, he said.Haryana agriculture minister Shyam Singh Rana said under chemical farming, a substantial portion of farmers’ earnings goes to companies manufacturing fertilisers, pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. In contrast, natural farming reduces dependence on external inputs, lowers cultivation costs and makes farmers economically stronger, he said.Progressive farmer Dharampal Yadav from Uttar Pradesh said harmful effects of chemical farming have led to an increase in hospitals as well as serious diseases. “The world is now recognising the need to return to natural farming and people are migrating from large cities towards villages,” said Yadav.During the programme, farmers shared suggestions with Saini on how the state government could further promote natural farming.