Uttarakhand sets up seeds processing plant; boosting up the seed production in the state

NewsBharati    28-Feb-2018
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Dehradun, February 28: A seed processing plant of National Seeds Corporation (NSC) inside Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology has been set up which will help solve the problem of seed production in hilly regions.

Government is committed to doubling farmer’s income by 2022 so that they can live a life of happiness and prosperity says the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Radha Mohan Singh while addressing the concluding ceremony of All India Farmers’ Fair and Agro-Industrial Exhibition in Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat; Agriculture and Horticulture Minister Subodh Uniyal and Dr. AK Misra, Vice-Chancellor also graced the occasion.

The variety of seeds used in hilly regions are not commercially viable for production in plains. The transportation of seeds for processing from hilly regions increases the cost of seeds. This processing plant will now be set up in the hilly region which will help seeds of certain species to be developed in the same climate. This will not only increase production but also prevent its extinction.

The Minister said the evolution of some of the mountain crops is due to its special climate where several varieties of medicinal crops have been growing for centuries. Special varieties of Ragi (mandua), Saawan (Zagora), which were on the verge of extinction, are grown. Singh said it is imperative to give urgent attention to the development and conservation of a special variety of crops developed in the hills.

 

Agriculture Minister said the Prime Minister and the Government are committed to doubling farmer’s income by 2022 and for this, the Government has increased the budgetary allocation of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Ministry in the budget 2018-19 to Rs 58,080 cr from 51,576 cr in 2017-18. The Government is committed to the agriculture sector and has been pushing for the implementation of schemes that aims to shift priority from production-led to income-led strategy.

To achieve this ambitious objective, the government is encouraged to adopt the 'multi-dimensional seven-point' strategy suggested by Hon'ble Prime Minister, which includes-

  1. Emphasis on irrigation along with end to end solution on creation of resources for ‘More crop per drop'
  2. 'Provision of quality seeds and nutrients according to the soil quality of each farm.
  3. Large investments in warehouses and cold chains to prevent Post-harvest losses.
  4. Promotion of value addition through food processing.
  5. Implementation of National Agricultural Markets and e-platforms (e-NAM) to eliminate shortcomings of all the 585 centers.
  6. To mitigate the risk, introduction of crop insurance scheme at a lower cost.
  7. Promotion of allied activities such as Dairy-Animal husbandry, Poultry, Bee-keeping, Medh Per Ped, Horticulture, and Fisheries.