Assam Agriculture Minister Piyush Hazarika has set a target of distributing 1 crore horticulture saplings. He urged the youth to adopt commercial farming and increase income by growing multiple crops on the same land.
Target to distribute 1 crore horticulture saplings
Thanking AAU for this initiative, the Minister announced that the Agriculture Department has set an ambitious target of distributing 1 crore high yielding horticulture saplings across the state. Emphasizing on the cultivation of fruits and cash crops, he said that systematic multi-cropping of assets like coconut, pepper, pineapple and dragon fruit on the same land will bring manifold economic benefits to the farmer families.
Appeal to youth to adopt commercial farming
Minister Hazarika strongly appealed to the youth of the state to adopt commercial farming instead of migrating for small jobs. He urged them to work hard and find practical solutions to the challenges rather than blaming manageable factors like squirrel terror or unverified claims of mobile tower radiation.
Assurance of protecting the interests of farmers
Emphasizing the government’s commitment to protect the interests of farmers, the minister warned that strict action will be taken against sellers selling fertilizers at more than the maximum retail price. He also said that this year the local producers have benefited a lot from the timely distribution of paddy seeds. Further, he mentioned the ongoing departmental efforts to expand farmer registration so that more individuals can avail central benefits under PM-Kisan and PM Crop Insurance Scheme, and also urged farmers to utilize the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF).
Emphasis on reducing dependence on imports
Addressing the national trade deficit, the minister urged local farmers to focus on palm oil and pulses to reduce India’s huge import bill. He also cautioned against vested interest groups trying to spin a negative narrative about ethanol blending in petrol, and said such misinformation ultimately harms the economic interests of farmers.
Plants and machines distributed to farmers
As part of the day’s proceedings, the Minister formally distributed fruit saplings, black and brown gram seeds and spraying machines to around 100 farmers. AAU Vice Chancellor Deepjyoti Rajkhowa and Horticulture Director Nripen Chandra Das and other dignitaries were present at the event. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)