Sri Vijaya Puram | October 22, 2026
The district-level campaign ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’, scheduled to be implemented from October 22 to 30, was launched on Thursday at the Zonal Agriculture Office, South Andaman, by the Department of Agriculture in association with ICAR–Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), South Andaman, and UT-ATMA. The campaign was launched alongside the Rabi Campaign.
Speaking on the occasion, Director of Agriculture Debabrata Basantia highlighted that the campaign, launched by the Government of India, aims to promote the balanced and judicious use of fertilizers based on soil testing, improve soil health, encourage water conservation and harvesting, promote sustainable nutrient management, and accelerate the adoption of natural farming.
He urged farmers to avoid the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and adopt Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) practices to maintain soil fertility and reduce cultivation costs.
Dr. Y. Ramakrishna, Head of KVK, South Andaman, emphasised the importance of soil testing and applying fertilizers in accordance with the recommendations provided in Soil Health Cards. He also highlighted soil and water conservation measures and the benefits of natural farming.
Earlier, the Assistant Director of Agriculture, South Andaman, briefed participants on the activity calendar of Khet Bachao Abhiyan, which will be implemented across all blocks. The Assistant Director (Agriculture), ATMA, advised farmers to adopt scientific and sustainable agricultural practices to safeguard standing crops and improve farm productivity. The Agriculture Officer, South Andaman, also addressed the gathering.
A total of 60 participants, including farmers, Farmer Friends, departmental officers and ATMA functionaries, attended the programme.
