Port Blair: With an increasing focus on sustainable agriculture and soil conservation, the Andaman and Nicobar Administration has launched an island-wide awareness drive under the nationwide month-long “Khet Bachao Abhiyan”, encouraging farmers to adopt scientific, climate-resilient and eco-friendly farming practices. The campaign, being observed from June 1 to 30, 2026, is being jointly conducted by the Department of Agriculture, Andaman and Nicobar Administration, the Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA), and ICAR–Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), South Andaman. Through awareness programmes, field demonstrations and training sessions, the initiative seeks to promote balanced use of fertilizers, soil health management and natural farming practices across the Islands.
The drive aims to educate farmers on the importance of using fertilizers and agricultural inputs based on scientific soil testing while promoting the use of green manure, organic and biological products. Officials said the campaign also focuses on strengthening Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) practices to improve long-term soil fertility and agricultural productivity.
As part of the initiative, awareness programmes were organized on June 1 at Collinpur and Namunaghar villages in South Andaman. During the sessions, farmers were sensitized on balanced fertilizer application, soil sample collection techniques, weather-based crop advisories, water conservation measures and scientific soil health management practices.
Technical experts participating in the programmes cautioned against the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers, highlighting its adverse impact on soil health and crop productivity. They stressed the need for nutrient application based on soil test recommendations to ensure sustainable farming and better yields. Farmers were also briefed on various Government welfare schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). They were encouraged to adopt modern and climate-resilient agricultural practices for enhancing productivity while conserving natural resources.
The programmes witnessed enthusiastic participation from farmers, Farmer Friends, ATMA officials and representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions. Officials informed that similar awareness campaigns, demonstrations and farmer training programmes will continue throughout the month in all blocks of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under the Khet Bachao Abhiyan.
