Shimla, Dec. 24 -- Reiterating state government's commitment to promote natural farming, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhum, after returning from New Delhi on Tuesday said that agriculture continues to be the backbone of the state, with nearly 90% of the population residing in rural areas and about 53.95% directly dependent on farming and allied activities. He said that strengthening the rural economy was the foremost priority of the present state government and that for the first time in the history of Himachal, a series of bold and decisive steps have been taken to ensure the economic empowerment of farmers and rural households, including the introduction of minimum support price for produce grown through natural farming, the notification of the Universal Carton for apples to protect the interests of horticulturists, targeted subsidy schemes for rural areas and the innovative initiative of purchasing cow dung to provide additional income to farmers. These unprecedented measures aim to maximize benefits for the rural population and pave the way for their self-reliance. The Himachal chief minister stated that a comprehensive framework of farmer-friendly schemes has been introduced to support this transition. As a result, around 2,22,893 farmers and orchardists have already fully or partially adopted natural farming practices on approximately 38,437 hectares across the state. Highlighting a significant milestone, the CM said that on April 15, the tribal Pangi sub-division of Chamba district was officially declared a natural farming sub-division. Besides cultivating traditional crops, local farmers were naturally growing a wide range of medicinal herbs, reflecting the region's strong commitment to eco-friendly agriculture. Sukhu noted that Himachal has become the first state in the country to fix minimum support prices for produce grown through natural farming. The MSP for naturally grown maize and wheat, earlier fixed at Rs.30 and Rs.40 per kilogram, has now been enhanced to Rs.40 and Rs.60 respectively, he said, adding, support prices have also been fixed at Rs.90 per kilogram for raw turmeric and Rs.60 per kilogram for barley grown in the Pangi Valley, along with a substantial increase in fruit support prices. The chief minister of Himachal said that payments were being made directly into farmer's accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer, ensuring transparency and efficiency. An amount of Rs.1 crore have been deposited for the purchase of 399 metric tonnes of naturally grown maize. Additionally, Rs.1.32 crore has been transferred for procuring 2,123 quintals of wheat, while Rs.11.44 lakh has been paid for 127 quintals of raw turmeric in six districts. The chief minister further said these initiatives reflect the government's resolve to make Himachal a self-reliant and prosperous, and steadily move the State towards its goal of becoming one of the leading natural farming state successfully....