Agriculture plays a vital role in the State’s economy contributing about 14 per cent to the State’s GDP. The main objective of the Government is to place the farmers in the centre of the decision-making process and provide them viable options and institutional support,” said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Odisha State Village Agriculture Workers/ladies Village Agriculture Workers’ Employees’ Association annual function held here on Tuesday.
Development of agriculture solely depends upon extension of innovative agricultural technologies to the farmers by the grassroots functionaries, ie the agriculture workers working at the gram panchayat level who are the main contact persons for the farmers, Patnaik pointed out.
He said that for strengthening the extension mechanism, the panchayat-level agriculture and allied services extension workers are required to organise “Krushak Sampark Shibirs” and remain present at the GP headquarters on a fixed day of a week for interacting with farmers to address their various issues.
During the function, association members presented their demands and submitted a memorandum to the CM to take appropriate steps in this regard. In reply, Patnaik said, “I am aware about the demands of the association. And the State Government will take a sympathetic view and look into various issues expeditiously.”
Finance and Excise Minister Sashi Bhusan Behera, Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Principal Secretary Dr Sourav Garg, Agriculture and Food Production Director Hariballav Mishra, IMAGE Director Dr Bimalananda Das and association president Kalinga Kishore Mohanty and secretary Amaya Kumar Rout also spoke on the occasion. A souvenir was also released on the occasion.