District Collector Rajakumari Ganiya on Wednesday called for a massive expansion of natural farming practices across Nandyal district, underlining the need to restore soil fertility and reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers.

Addressing a gathering of farmers at a natural farming awareness programme at Gundupapala village in Dornipadu mandal, the Collector said that close to 90,000 farmers were currently practising natural farming on nearly 50,000 hectares across the district. She appealed to the remaining farmers among the district’s 3.5 lakh community to gradually adopt sustainable agricultural practices.

Expressing concern over the excessive use of chemical fertilisers, the Collector said that such practices were leading to deteriorating soil health. “Continuous chemical-based cultivation, monocropping, and failure to follow crop rotation practices are further risks,” she said. She also highlighted the importance of the PMDS (Pre-Monsoon Dry Sowing) method, which keeps land green throughout the year and improves soil microbial activity and moisture retention.

The Collector said that the government was supplying PMDS kits containing 34 varieties of seeds, including vegetables, pulses, and fodder crops. She later distributed the kits to farmers and participated in seed pelletisation and seed broadcasting demonstrations in a farmer’s field.

Earlier, the Collector visited a millet processing unit established by the “Srushti Rythu Group” at Umapathi Nagar in Dornipadu mandal. She reviewed millet processing operations, interacted with farmer representatives, and assured support for value-addition projects, including possible financial assistance for machinery and infrastructure to strengthen natural farming-based rural enterprises in the district.