Govt working to increase farmers’ income : Radha Mohan

Speed Post News Network

Patna : Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh on December 7, 2017, said that the Agriculture Ministry is constantly working towards increasing farmers’ income, creating employment opportunities in the agrarian sector and ensuring farmers earn maximum profit. Singh said “Kisan Goshthi Sah Prakshetra Bhraman” is also being organized for the welfare of farmers.

Addressing the “Kisan Goshthi Sah Prakshetra Bhraman” organized at ICAR, Patna, Singh said that agriculture sector’s contribution is important for economic growth of the country. Agriculture contributes around 14 % in the country’s GDP and the contribution is 19 % in Bihar. With the growth of the economy, the contribution of agriculture sector to the country’s GDP is decreasing, but the population’s dependency on agriculture is not decreasing in the same proportion, he said. It poses a challenge for inclusive growth. Compared to the rest of the country, there is more pressure on agriculture in Bihar, Singh said, according to a PIB release.

The state’s share in land holdings in the country is 3.8 % whereas Bihar’s share in the country’s population is 8.6 %, Singh said. The population density of the state is 1,106 people per sq. km whereas the national average is only 382 persons per sq. km. In the state, 91 % of the farmers are marginal while the national average is 68 %, he said.

The state has enough natural resources such as fertile soil, water and agricultural hydrological conditions for the development of agriculture. He said last year, an estimated 141 lakh tonnes of crops were produced in the state and it includes paddy 68.8 lakh tonnes, wheat 47.4 lakh tonnes, maize 25.2 lakh tonnes, pulses 4.2 lakh tonnes and oilseeds 1.3 lakh tonnes. According to the estimates, 156.29 lakh tonnes vegetables and 40 lakh tonnes fruits were also produced.

Agricultural universities and agricultural institutions have made significant contributions in agricultural production, the Minister said. Krishi Vigyan Kendra is working in all 38 districts for the promotion, evaluation, and training of agricultural technology. Agricultural science portal has been created to provide information about the activities of all the agricultural science centers, he said.