A radical change was needed in the working system of the Agriculture Department for the progress and prosperity of farmers said Agriculture Minister Brijmohan Agrawal on Saturday.
Officers and employees should introspect that still more than 80 per cent farmers of Chhattisgarh were taking only one crop in a year, he said. Agrawal said that in order to make agriculture a profitable business, the greatest need today was to encourage farmers to cultivate two-three crops. Because of the single crop cultivation, the problem of migration of farm labourers was still prevailing in the State.
Along with agriculture, dairying, fisheries like activities should also be encouraged, with which the income of farmers and farm labourers increases, the Minister said. Agrawal was addressing at the inaugural function of one-day State-level research extension interface ‘Atma’ under the support State extension reform scheme in the Indira Gandhi Agriculture University premises.
The workshop was organised jointly by the Directorate of Agriculture and the State Agriculture Management and Extension Training Institute. Indira Gandhi Agriculture University Vice Chancellor Dr SK Patil, Kamdhenu University Vice Chancellor Dr US Mishra, Director, Agriculture PR Kridutt, Director veterinary Dr SK Pandey, Indira Gandhi Agriculture University Registrar KC Paikra and senior officers of the departments concerned were present at the workshop.
Agrawal said that the State's farmers were not taking interest in dairy and fisheries business, though both were linked with agriculture. Agriculture, veterinary and fisheries department should make a joint work plan to link farmers in employment-oriented activities. The department needed to adopt more practical approach, he said.
The Minister said that agriculture-related principles practically needed to be taken to farm and the threshing floor. Chhattisgarh also needs crop cycle change. The main objective of our department should be to encourage farmers towards cash crops in the crop cycle change programme, he said.