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Rs. 40 cr. for development of agriculture in Gajapati promised

BERHAMPUR: Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Kantilal Bhuria on Saturday promised an investment of around Rs. 40 crores from the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) in Gajapati district for development of agriculture in the area.

Mr Bhuria was at Parlakhemundi to attend a farmers’ meet. Union Minister of State for Rural Development Chandrasekhar Sahu and State Cabinet Minister for Agriculture Surendra Nayak also attended this farmers’ meet organized by Society for Welfare of Weaker Section (SWWS) and Center for Community Development (CCD). This farmers’ meet was held at the Gajapati stadium at Paralakhemundi.

Mr Bhuria said the UPA Government was putting extra stress on the development of agricultural sector in the country as it was the most prominent sector in its economy but accounted for 18.6 per cent of the GDP. But it provided employment to around 60 per cent of the country’s population. He said the UPA Government had increased investment in agriculture sector from Rs. 4,500 crores to Rs. 7,500 crores. He accepted that till now monsoon had played a critical role in determining the fate of the farmers. According to him the Central Government was all prepared to help states in taking up irrigation projects for infrastructural development for agriculture. According to him 98 per cent of the Rs. 40 crores to be spent in Gajapati district under RIDF would be spent on irrigation. Mr Sahu said the UPA Government envisioned boosting agricultural growth to 4 per cent from it present growth rate of around 2 per cent.

Mr Surendra Nayak elaborated the efforts of the State Government to develop agriculture.

He claimed that condition of farmers was better in the Orissa in comparison to states like Andhra Pradesh as suicide cases of farmers were low in Orissa.

He said the Centre was to provide much more help to help development of agriculture in Orissa.

The main objective of this farmers’ meet was to make farmers aware of new agricultural technologies, their skill upgradation and better market linkage.

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