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Raje for hi-tech farm practices

Special Correspondent

Traditional methods of farming should give way to scientific practices

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, on Thursday called for "prudent application" of modern technology to the agriculture sector keeping in view the scarcity of water resources in the desert State, and said the traditional methods of farming should give way to hi-tech scientific practices for affording a new dimension to the green revolution.

Inaugurating the `AgriConclave-2005' organised jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the State Government's Agriculture Department here, Ms. Raje said the focus of agricultural development must shift to make the farmers globally competitive and bring good returns to them on the farm produce. "Agricultural marketing also needs to be streamlined to bring profits to farmers," she added.

Ms. Raje pointed out that the State Government had laid special emphasis on expansion of agriculture and was providing the farmers with value-added services and assistance in getting farm resources of good quality. The animal resources were also being improved to make a significant addition to the farmers' income, she said.

"We have increased the Budget allocation for agriculture by 300 per cent and provided subsidy in power to encourage drip and sprinkler methods of irrigation," Ms. Raje said, while drawing the experts' attention to the scope for development in biotechnology, food processing industry and value-added services. She noted that bio-farming was fast emerging as a field with enormous potential.

The Chief Minister said special zones for growing coriander and cumin seeds were being developed in the State, while steps were being taken to promote the farming of medicinal and aromatic plants and create employment opportunities in agricultural marketing.

The Agriculture Minister, Prabhulal Saini, said the agricultural activities were carried out at 66 per cent of the 3.42-crore hectare land available in the State, while 70 per cent of the total area under agriculture was still dependent on rains. He said the private sector investment in agriculture would increase employment opportunities in the rural areas.

Earlier, the Chairman of CII's Rajasthan State Council, R.K. Poddar, threw light on the objectives of the two-day conclave. The Chairman of CII Northern Region, Ajay Sriram, Chairman of CII's Food and Agriculture Sub-Committee, Salil Singhal, and Vice-Chairman of CII's State Council, Sripal Chaudhary, also addressed the meeting.

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