Karnal, June 6 -- The indiscriminate usage of chemical fertilisers is turning the fertile agricultural land of Haryana and Punjab into a barren wasteland, and it is high time that farmers adopt natural farming," said Union minister of state (MoS) for agriculture and farmers' welfare Ram Nath Thakur on Friday. "Haryana and Punjab have contributed to the nation by producing wheat and rice, which is excellent. However, the excessive use of fertilisers has contaminated the soil. Soon, the land in Haryana and Punjab will become barren. If nothing is done, future generations will be ruined," Thakur said. Thakur, a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar and son of Bharat Ratna awardee and former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur, made these remarks while addressing a gathering of farmers as part of the national campaign "Khet Bachao Abhiyan" at Kachhwa village in Karnal. The event was organised jointly by the ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) and the department of agriculture and farmers welfare, Haryana, and saw participation from around 430 farmers, including 152 women. Thakur, while interacting with local farmers and agriculture officials from the ICAR-affiliated institutes, discussed the dangerous side effects of the increased use of chemicals in farming. Thakur also visited stalls set up by progressive farmers and inquired about the products, developed with the help of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), NDRI. Value-added dairy products like desi ghee, paneer, and lassi-prepared by members of the Haryana Atulya Nari Shakti Dairy FPO-were also displayed. Thakur said that, in today's race for higher yields, chemical fertilisers are being used excessively. "This is causing our soil and farmland to become increasingly toxic, while also deforming the human body and moving us further away from the dream of a healthy society," he said. The minister expressed displeasure over not getting any reply from the officials on soil testing facilities in the region. "I've asked them to report how many farmers have used the facility, if there is any, from June 1 to June 5 till 10 am, before my arrival at the programme," Thakur said. The Janata Dal (United) leader also expressed dissatisfaction for arranging a "set-up" like programme on his arrival. "Farmers are in the field and you have called your people for the programme in this hall. Such events should be held in the fields, where the real farmers could actually join and listen to us," he said. Thakur also compared the traditional health status of Punjab and Haryana with the current situation, while also showing concern over the increase in cancer cases....