BHUBANESWAR: Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday called upon people to join the ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’ which aims to create awareness among farmers about modern technologies through scientific outreach and sustainable practices for higher productivity.
Launching a nationwide campaign from Sakhigopal in Puri district in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo, Chouhan said the joint initiative by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is a concrete step towards transforming Indian agriculture and securing the food future of the country through scientific innovation and grassroots participation.
“This campaign will adopt a two-way communication approach. On one hand, scientists will share research and technical information with farmers, while on the other hand, they will gather information about the challenges faced by farmers. These findings will help guide future research efforts and provide practical, location-specific solutions. To connect ‘Lab to Land’, scientists of ICAR and Krishi Vigyan Kendras will be associated with this fortnight-long campaign,” the Union minister said.
For the purpose, he said, teams of 16,000 scientists have been formed, who will go from village to village to communicate with the farmers. One team will visit two villages in a day. Farmers will be educated on the type of crops to be cultivated, the variety of seeds to be used and ways to apply fertilisers and pesticides, depending on the climate, water, soil nutrients and other things. Scientists will solve the practical problems of the farmers through direct communication.
Lauding some of the state’s initiatives, Chouhan said Odisha has set an example for the entire country by procuring paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal, which is Rs 800 more than the minimum support price (MSP). “Not just in agriculture, but schemes like Subhadra have also benefitted many women in the state. Whether it’s women’s empowerment or agricultural infrastructure development, Odisha will be an example for the entire world,” he added.
Terming this as a ground-breaking campaign of the central government, Chief Minister Majhi said scientists will meet around 1.5 crore farmers of the state to create awareness among them about the modern technologies and provide guidance on the adoption of scientific farming practices for sustainable growth.