Pijush Hazarika attends agriculture business workshop in Guwahati

Agriculture Minister Pijush Hazarika on Monday attended the State-level workshop on “Strengthening Business Opportunities for Agriculture and Allied Products in Assam”, organised by the Agriculture Department at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati.

The workshop focused on strengthening the business potential of Assam’s agriculture and allied sectors and making agriculture more profitable and market-oriented for farmers.

Addressing around 250 progressive farmers from different parts of the State, Minister Hazarika said that India is an agriculture-based economy and development of the agriculture sector is crucial for the country’s economic growth. “Around 150 crore people in our country need food. Therefore, we have a huge domestic market for our agricultural produce. We must take advantage of this opportunity and strive towards self-reliance in agriculture,” he said.

The Minister emphasised the need to focus on high-value crops that can be cultivated in less land and harvested within a shorter period, while generating higher returns. He urged farmers to continue paddy cultivation while simultaneously adopting double and triple cropping to maximise productivity.

Highlighting the priority being accorded to agriculture and irrigation by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Minister Hazarika said that the State Government has proposed externally aided projects worth around Rs 5,000 crore for agriculture and Rs 6,000 crore for irrigation, respectively.