Karsog Farmer Nek Ram Sharma Gets Padma Shri For Bringing Back 'Nau Anaj' System

On April 5, Nek Ram Sharma, a farmer from Nanj village in the Karsog subdivision of Mandi district, received the Padma Shri from President Droupadi Murmu. He received the honour of bringing back the old agriculture system of nine food grains.

"Receiving the civilian award from the President in recognition of my contribution to the farming sector was a fantastic experience," recalls Nek Ram. It will motivate me to put more effort into the agricultural sector to restore Himachal's traditional crop system.

According to Sharma, he began an Angora farm in 1990 and ran it till 1995. To bring back the original crop system of nine food grains, I then shifted to organic farming. By the year 2000, I had made good progress and created the millet varieties finger, foxtail, barnyard, proso, kodo, buck beat, sorghum, and pearl millet. These ancient grains of sustenance were in danger of going extinct.

According to him, "These nine foodgrains are known as Nau Anaj, which is a natural intercropping system in which these are cultivated on the same plot of land without using any chemicals, cutting down on water use by 50% and boosting land fertility."

He continues, "I created native local seeds of these crops and gave them away for free to more than 10,000 farmers in six states."

On the occasion of Republic Day, Nek Ram was honoured in Mandi by Education Minister Rohit Thakur.

Source-The Tribune

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