PM Modi inaugurates South India Natural Farming Summit in Coimbatore

New Delhi, Nov 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the South India Natural Farming Summit 2025 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, calling natural farming the “future of Indian agriculture” and a crucial step toward strengthening the rural economy. Addressing farmers, scientists and agri-startups, the Prime Minister began his speech with salutations to Lord Murugan of Marudhamalai, describing Coimbatore as a land of culture, compassion and creativity, and a major hub of entrepreneurship and textiles in South India. He also noted that former Coimbatore MP C.P. Radhakrishnan, now the Vice President of India, has added further pride to the city.

Calling natural farming a subject “close to his heart”, PM Modi said India is moving towards becoming a global hub for natural farming, with young people increasingly seeing agriculture as a modern and scalable opportunity. This shift, he said, would “greatly strengthen the rural economy.” He highlighted major changes in agriculture over the last 11 years, noting that agricultural exports have nearly doubled, and that over `10 lakh crore has been provided this year to farmers through the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme, including livestock and fisheries sectors. Moments before his speech, the 21st installment of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi was released, transferring `18,000 crore to farmers nationwide. So far, `4 lakh crore has been sent directly to the bank accounts of small farmers.

PM Modi warned that excessive use of chemical fertilisers is reducing soil fertility and raising costs. “To revive soil health and increase crop nutrition, India must move towards natural farming. This is both a vision and a necessity,” he said, stressing the need for crop diversification.

He noted that the National Mission on Natural Farming, launched last year, has already connected lakhs of farmers, with 35,000 hectares in Tamil Nadu now under natural or organic cultivation. Traditional practices such as Panchagavya, Jeevamrit, Beejamrit and mulching must be encouraged, he said, adding that integrating millets (Shree Anna) with natural farming protects both the soil and human health. PM Modi outlined successful models of multi-crop and integrated farming seen in the hilly regions of Kerala and Karnataka, where coconut, areca nut, spices and black pepper are grown on the same land. Such practices, he said, should be replicated nationwide.

Calling South India a “living university of agriculture”, the Prime Minister pointed to ancient water management systems such as temple tanks and canals—including the 13th-century Kalingarayan Canal—as proof of the region’s scientific approach to farming. He urged farmers to begin with the model of “one acre, one season” of natural farming, and asked agricultural institutions to treat farmers’ fields as “living laboratories” to develop science-backed solutions. He also stressed the role of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), noting that 10,000 FPOs have already been created to support packaging, processing and market access via platforms like e-NAM.

Concluding his address, PM Modi said he was confident that the summit would generate new ideas and solutions for a sustainable future of Indian agriculture. The summit, being held from November 19–21, has brought together over 50,000 participants from Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states, aiming to promote eco-friendly, chemical-free, and climate-smart agriculture. Governor of Tamil Nadu R.N. Ravi and Union Minister Dr. L. Murugan were present during the event.