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Uttarakhand suggests creation of ‘special agricultural zones’

DEHRA DUN: Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has expressed grave concern over conversion of about 24,000 hectares of prime agricultural land for industrial and other non-agricultural purposes over the past seven years. “We are not against industrialisation…but that should be done on wastelands found in abundance in the State,” he said

Speaking at the inauguration of the State Agriculture Directorate building at Nanda Ki Chowki near here, Mr. Rawat wanted the formation of ‘special agriculture zones’ to protect the farmlands from further encroachment by industries and business houses.

The Minister called upon the agriculture department staff and the G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology to develop and disseminate high-tech farming technologies so that young farmers could make a decent earning even from small land holdings. This alone could check the mass migration of youth to the plains in search of jobs, he said, adding that over two lakh youths had migrated from Pauri Garhwal district alone over the past few years.

Mr. Rawat urged the hill farmers to undertake voluntary consolidation of their scattered land holdings so that they could manage farm activities well. The minister urged the youth to group up into cooperatives for value addition and marketing of coarse grains and fruits, still grown in the hills, as they had a very lucrative market in big cities and abroad.

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Uttarakhand suggests creation of ‘special agricultural zones’

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