Union Minister of Petroleum, Natural Gas, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dhamendra Pradhan while speaking at the inaugural function of AgriVikash 2018 at the SOA University here batted for integrated farming in the State.
Odisha has a huge agriculture potential like Kandhamal turmeric, Koraput ginger, Kuchinda chili. Besides, there is vast scope for fishing in our coastal part, he said.
“like western countries we need to explore how our energy basket could be filled with recycling agri and municipal wastes. When we are importing crude oil of Rs 7 lakh crore, our scientists and innovators have developed technology to extract ethanol from straw to meet energy crisis, Pradhan said.
Speaking at the function, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Gajendra Singh Sekhawat said, "Before coming here, I was examining the State where ten perennial rivers are flowing and 1,200mm of annual rainfall is got. Though they are available in Odisha, how farmers here are sufferingIJ When last year, 12 districts were affected by drought and untimely crop loss due to brown grass hopper, I had visited four districts and had collected 200 empty bottles. When examined, I found to my utter surprise that 68 per cent bottles were having Thyramite which gives food and nutrition supplements to insects that damage crops, while 32 per cent of them were spurious pesticides. Only 10 per cent of them were good of which farmers have no knowledge on how to use those,” he said.
He called upon the youths especially over two lakh agriculture students to focus on 11 crore farmers of the country to double their income by 2020.
Sekhawat further added that though India iae top 10 food grain exporting county, much needs to be done even though we are number one in fruit, wheat, cotton, milk and oil seeds.
Sekhawat stressed on making farmers entrepreneurs. Country's second Green Revolution should start from here and youths only can do it.
“We have connected 22,000 Grameen Haats and 585 Mandis making it a single market for country's farmers. Very shortly, the Government will announce MSP of 25 notified agri products,” the Minister declared.
Minister of State for MSME Giriraj Singh came down heavily on the Naveen Patnaik Government, saying, "Where 35 of minerals of the country is from Odisha, how come the State is languishing and youths are going outside for job.”
The Modi Government is making every effort to develop agriculture and clubbing it with the MSME Ministry, we can do wonder in developing State’s 62 lakh hectares land, he stated.
Singh also shared the success of solar Charakha by which an women can earn Rs 10,000 per month and value addition of cow urine and cow dung by which farmers will be entrepreneurs. No representatives of the Government of Odisha attended the function. Even it was confirmed by the organisers that State's Food and Civil Supply Minister Surjya Narayan Patro would participate, he didn’t turned up.
More than 1,000 delegates, including 500 farmers, are participating in the two -day long conclave.
