Gujarat to launch Golden Krishi Mahotsava-2010 on Akhatrij

Gujarat is set to launch Golden Krishi Mahotsava-2010 on the occasion of Akhatrij on May 16, 2010, as part of the state’s bid for a second green revolution through a series of path-breaking measures.

Even as the state-wide Krishi Mahotsav being observed under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi enters the sixth year, the focus in the year of the state’s golden jubilee celebration is on Innovative Convergence of Schemes for maximizing results.

The convergence includes precision farming, farm mechanization, sprinkler irrigation, tissue culture and organic fertilizers, introducing the concept of green houses, nursery and vadi farming.

During the Krishi Mahotsav, the experts teams will hold 525 demonstrations across the state, distribute farm kits to 1.69-lakhs beneficiaries and seeds for horticulture crops to 1.36-lakh beneficiaries,

The multi-pronged action plan includes increasing the yields of the state’s cash crops like cotton, groundnut, castor and sugarcane. Under horticulture, plan is to increase the banana yield from the present 49 to 100 tonnes per hectare, besides tomato, lady’s finger, chili that come under horticulture.

It includes starting 60 farm fields schools to train farmers grow hybrid paddy, doubling ragi crop production in three years, Rs.19,500 assistance for demonstrating sprinkler convergence in groundnut in each block

Plan is to issue 42-lakh new soil health cards, setting up 85 new labs at APMC yards and sugar factories to test 14-lakh soil samples every year, preparing farm maps for each district and train 1,500 students of agricultural universities in the state.

It includes going for hybrid and improved seeds, doubling seeds output in three years with a view to reducing cost through mass production, distributing improved certified seeds through authorized dealers in various districts.