By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 10 Dec: Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi inaugurated a two-day Agricultural Science Fair, today, by cutting the ribbon at the Maya Group of Colleges in Selaqui. On this occasion, the Agriculture Minister also felicitated farmers for their outstanding work. He also planted a Tulsi plant in the university’s herbal garden and research centre.
Joshi extended his best wishes to the university for organising the fair. He stated that the primary goal of the Agricultural Science Fair is to bring positive changes in the lives of farmers by providing them information on new technologies, tools, and government schemes related to agriculture, so that farmers can become self-reliant. He mentioned that the yield of important crops in Uttarakhand is quite low, which affects production. Therefore, there is a need to devise an alternative strategy based on ground realities that is strong for agriculture and related enterprises. Changes in altitude and climate offer natural advantages for crop diversification. The Agriculture Minister added that the Dhami government in the state has planned to promote the cultivation of select crops like Basmati, aromatic Basmati, medicinal plants, vegetables, flowers, fruits, and milk production. This new policy focuses on securing food, nutrition, and livelihood.
He further stated that India is the second-largest producer of agricultural products today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a vision to make India the world’s number one producer by 2030. To achieve this, the state is consistently working on organic and natural farming and utilising new technology to increase production.
Joshi emphasised that the current government is providing financial assistance to small and marginal farmers, those with less than 2 hectares of land. Under this scheme, every farmer receives an annual income support of Rs 6,000 (Rs 2,000 every three months). He commended Maya Devi University for its remarkable work in the agricultural field and mentioned that the Agricultural Science Fair is a powerful platform for knowledge sharing between farmers and scientists. He highlighted that agriculture is the foundation of, both, the country’s and Uttarakhand’s economy, and self-reliance can be achieved through agriculture. The state government is continuously working on the development of the agriculture sector. The goal is to improve crop production and double the income of farmers by 2025, and efforts in this direction are ongoing.
Minister Joshi also encouraged such events to be promoted. He urged students to provide farmers in rural areas with information on new agricultural techniques.
On this occasion, MLA Munna Singh Chauhan, University President M Ali Tiwal, Vice President Dr Tripti Juyal Semwal, Ashish Semwal, Dr Meenakshi Tiwari, Dr Himanshu Pathak, Juyal Semwal, Vice Chancellor C Singh, Dr Manoj Pandey, JP Maithani, Ashish Dabral, faculty members, and students were also present.
