SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has enrolled 21,541 farmers under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), with 7,605.048 hectares brought under natural farming, according to data furnished by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The Union Government said 249 natural farming clusters have been formed in Jammu and Kashmir under the mission. The figures cover the period from financial year 2024-25 to 2026-27.
Ladakh, meanwhile, has four clusters with 621 farmers enrolled and 175.616 hectares covered under the NMNF, the ministry said.
Together, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh account for 22,162 enrolled farmers and 7,780.664 hectares under the mission. Jammu and Kashmir’s farmer enrolment is higher than the national average of about 72,288 farmers per State/UT when all 32 listed participating States and UTs are considered, but its coverage remains well below the national average area of about 35,758 hectares per State/UT.
At the national level, the NMNF has formed 23,331 clusters and enrolled 23,13,238 farmers across 32 States and UTs, covering 11,44,259.302 hectares. Jammu and Kashmir accounts for about 0.93 per cent of total farmer enrolment and 0.66 per cent of the area covered, while Ladakh accounts for about 0.03 per cent of farmers and 0.02 per cent of the area.
The ministry’s data show that Jammu and Kashmir’s 21,541 enrolled farmers place it below several larger States, including Andhra Pradesh with 6,51,567 farmers, Rajasthan with 2,62,346, Uttar Pradesh with 2,40,933, Maharashtra with 1,68,957 and Madhya Pradesh with 1,68,100. Its 7,605-hectare coverage is also below Andhra Pradesh’s 4,28,252.564 hectares, Rajasthan’s 1,11,165.58 hectares and Madhya Pradesh’s 91,199.656 hectares.
The Union Cabinet approved the NMNF as a centrally sponsored scheme on 25 November 2024. The ministry said the mission is aimed at supporting farmers in shifting towards natural farming through financial assistance, training, certification and institutional support.
Under the scheme, farmers receive an output-based incentive of Rs 4,000 per acre per year for two years, limited to one acre per farmer. Financial assistance of Rs 2,100 per hectare is also available for natural farming certification for two years. The government provides Rs 50,000 for each Model Demonstration Farm and Rs 1 lakh for each Bio-input Resource Centre.
The ministry said 527 Krishi Vigyan Kendras, 76 State Agricultural Universities and 194 Local Natural Farming Institutes have been identified to support implementation. Eighteen Centres of Natural Farming Institutes have also been identified for training. So far, 1,717 scientists and Farmer Master Trainers and 2,044 State and district officials have been trained, while 37,731 Krishi Sakhis and Community Resource Persons have also received training.
Across the country, 23,13,238 farmers have received support under the NMNF, with expenditure of Rs 6,592.434 crore incurred so far, according to the ministry.
The government also said that organic farming is being promoted through the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), implemented across all States and UTs, and the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER), implemented in the North Eastern States.
Under PKVY, assistance of Rs 31,500 per hectare is provided over three years, including Rs 15,000 per hectare through Direct Benefit Transfer for on-farm and off-farm organic inputs. Support is also provided for marketing, packaging, branding, value addition, certification and training.
The ministry said 36,38,043 farmers have been supported under PKVY and MOVCDNER, with Rs 37,035.302 crore incurred under the two schemes. Under the Participatory Guarantee System for organic certification, 16.35 lakh hectares have been certified, benefiting 24.14 lakh farmers.
The government further said more than 22.47 lakh farmers have been registered under the Natural Farming Certification System, with over 14.43 lakh farmers receiving natural farming certificates.
The data were provided by Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 127 on implementation of schemes to promote natural and organic farming, answered on july 28, 2026.
