With the notion of ensuring better price for crops produced by small farmers, the Centre and the Chhattisgarh Government have agreed to create a ‘farmer-producer organisation’. The farmers involved in Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Pisciculture would be the part of these organisations. This was decided during a day-long workshop jointly organised by Union Agriculture Ministry’s Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) and State Government’s Horticulture Department.
Farmers and representatives of social welfare organisations involved in agriculture took part in the workshop that was held in New Circuit House here on Monday. Experts during the workshop held detailed discussions over condition of small farmers, measures to be adopted for making agriculture profitable and Horticulture based farming.
Managing Director SFAC Pravesh Sharma and Commissioner Ujjain division, Madhya Pradesh Dr Ravindra Pastaure presented on-ground situation of present agriculture scenario, market system, advanced farming techniques and budgetary management for farming. They also informed about procedure to be adopted for making farmers’ organisation.
MD SFAC Pravesh Sharma opined that now farmers will have to produce only those crops, which have market demand and for this purpose farmers, they will have to remain aware about new farming techniques. “There has been a big change in nature of present day farming. Today 75 per cent of farm produce includes Horticulture and cattle rearing. The rest 25 percent constitutes of pulses, oil seeds and food grain crops. Fifteen years back the situation was just opposite and credit for this change goes to farmers’ awareness,” he said stressing over need to bring market closer to farmers. We need to form organisations of people interested in farming who would guide others, he said.
Dr Ravindra Pastuare said that its an irony that farmer purchase things to be used in farming on higher rates and sell the produce on cheap prices. For bridging the gap between farmer and market there is need for strengthening farmer organisations, he opined. Detailed discussion was held over agriculture during the workshop. Secretary State Agriculture department PC Pandey, Managing Director Mandi Board CR Prasanna besides other officials participated in the workshop.