Lalitpur, March 17:

Agriculture experts today urged farmers to practise organic farming by using conventional fertilisers to discourage the use of insecticides, pesticides and chemical fertilisers

that have ill effects on both human health and environment.

Inaugurating a Organic Agriculture Fair-2008, acting secretary at the Ministry for Agriculture and Cooperatives Divakar Poudel said the government was always ready to support private organic farms to promote organic farming.

Saying that the government has not been able to set up a mechanism to certify organic products so far, Poudel urged private agriculture sector to support the government in establishing such a mechanism and promoting organic products.

Chief of the District Agriculture Development Office, Kathmandu, Achyut Prasad Dhakal accused the government of not paying due attention to promote organic farming. He said the government should come up with certain programmes to promote organic farming.

“The government should bring special package programmes for different districts,” he added.

Chief of the Agriculture Profession Promotion Programme (APPP) under the Department of Agriculture (DoA) Gopal Man Shrestha said the fair was organised for the first time in Nepal to make people aware about the benefits of organic farming and the products coming from such farming.

“People are still unaware about organic products,” said Navaraj Lama, a visitor adding: “This kind of fair should be organised frequently to encourage people to use organic

products.”

He said organic products are healthy for human health as well as being environmentally friendly to grow.

The fair is organised by the APPP in collaboration with District Agriculture Development Offices of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. There are 45 stalls at the fair.

Farmers from over 15 districts across the country have put their organic products on display at the fair. The fair will continue till tomorrow.