Shimla, May 17 -- The Himachal government on Friday started the procurement of organic wheat from Bilaspur district, said officials. The move comes after the hike in minimum support prices (MSP) for naturally cultivated crops by the chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government in the state. The purchase began at centres in Ghumarwin and Bilaspur and the government procured over 22 quintals from 17 farmers. Approximately 7.8 metric tonnes wheat is likely to be procured this season in Bilaspur district. The procurement comes under the agriculture department's Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) project, in collaboration with Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation. Bilaspur deputy commissioner Rahul Kumar visited the local purchase centre to inspect the arrangements and interacted with farmers at the site. He listened to the farmers' experiences and urged them to encourage others to adopt natural farming methods. He instructed officials to provide training and awareness campaigns for the farmers who have made progress in this field. The DC said the Himachal government is striving to promote natural farming and over 8,000 farmers in the district have adopted natural farming so far. Of these, 4,800 farmers have registered on the Centre's Star Portal and comply with natural farming standards, he added. The DC said that more than 100 farmers have registered this year to sell their organic wheat. Recently, the state government hiked MSP for naturally cultivated wheat from Rs.40 to Rs.60 per kg....