Anand

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today said that income from agriculture has to be not just doubled but quadrupled as per the new comprehensive Agricultural Business Policy-2016.

Launching the 12th edition of statewide Krishi Mahotsav from Anand in central Gujarat on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya, she said the new policy entails opening the doors of global trade for farmers and youth of the state via modern farming, food-processing and establishing value-chain from farm to global commodities markets.

Even as the state’s farmers are linked to extension centres of agricultural universities for latest lab-2-farm inputs, she said that stress would be on incentives to increase yield, increase storage capacity, value-addition and maintain quality, prudent land use.

Daughter of a farmer, the present Chief Minister Mrs. Patel gave the slogan of ‘Samriddh Kisan; Sukhi Kisan’, meaning ‘Prosperous Farmer; Happy Farmer’. She said the present government is pro-farmer and the stress is on organic farming, setting up a new organic farming university to impart related education, training and research. The other areas of concern are adulteration in fertilizers and milk, land at concessional rates to APMC and Milk Huts, and improving cattle breed and produce neem-coated fertilizers.

The government plans to give one lakh new electricity connection during Krishi Mahotsav, loan at one per cent interest, allocation of Rs.10-crore for drip irrigation, Rs.100-crore to check damage to crop by pigs.

She attributed almost three time rise in the yield of groundnut, bajri, wheat, banana and rai from 900 to 2,700 kg/ha due to efforts during the Krishi Mahotsav.

The Chief Minister’s other programmes at Anand included distributing Rs.1.87-lakh Sardar Patel Agriculture Research district-level award to five farmers and Rs.2.25-lakh to seven progressive farmers of Kheda and Anand districts, Rs.4.40-lakh agriculture department awards to five, Rs.1.90-lakh under Mission Mangalam, Rs.50,000 to Sakhi Mandalis, citation to world’s first solar-powered co-operative.

society secretary Pravinbhai Parmar, and releasing the new Krishi Business Policy-2016.

Dr. Kathiria, Director of Research, Anand Agricultural University, gave details about the pavilion exhibition by nine districts at the Krishi Mahotsav, research findings on 54 types of seeds and extending varied benefits to farmers and allied sectors.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included Agriculture Minister Babubhai Bokhiria, In-charge Minister Pankaj Desai, GAIC Chairman Balubhai Jevalia, MP Dilipbhai Patel, Balsinh Vadodiya, Devusinh Chauhan, MLAs, Principal Secretary for agriculture and Cooperatives AM Solanki, Collector Dhaval Patel, DDO Modia, DSP Saurabh Singh, Vice-Chancellors of Dantiwada, Junagadh, Navsari and farmers.

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