The languishing farm sector of Jharkhand has started inviting attentions of the apex planning body of the country. It became evident on Monday when Planning Commission member K Kasturirangan and others accompanying him suggested to search for innovations and heightened role of partners outside the Government to make farming a success in the State.
Holding a high-level meeting Kasturirangan — he is member for Science and Technology, Environment and Forest and also in-charge of State Plan for Jharkhand — underlined the importance of having two-level system for taking the farming sector forward.
“Programme with statewide focus should be in place. I would suggest a panel here under the Chief Secretary, in which officials of ICAR (Indian Council for Agricultural Research), Department of Agriculture, Planning Commission member and State Agriculture University are the members. Also a larger panel can be in place at the Chief Minister’s level in which Secretary level officials from the Centre, ICAR etc can be members,” said the noted space scientist and former Chairman of ISRO.
Both the panels would work in tandem to find out areas where newer technology can be brought to deal with challenges such as lower irrigation facility, acidic nature of soil, lower productivity and constraints in applying latest technologies.
Just 13 per cent of cultivable land in the State is covered with irrigation facility and as much as 70 per cent is under paddy cultivation. This pushes a large number of farm population to the fringe, especially in dry seasons which lead to migration. Officials of Agriculture