Guwahati: Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday urged the north-eastern States to produce more to ensure food security. His Ministry had taken the initiative, in consultation with the governments of the region, to design plans for each State keeping in view their distinct physiography, topography, climatic and soil conditions, he said.
He was speaking at a two-day conference on “Agriculture: Strategies, Policies and Practices” here, which was attended by agriculture Ministers and officials of the region.
Jhum cultivation
Mr. Pawar underscored need to wean away farmers in the hills from jhum cultivation. He asked them to adopt agriculture practices that did not cause any harm to the soil and environment. Special programmes would be initiated by the Ministry in this regard. It would meet every six months to assess the agriculture scenario in the region and initiate corrective steps to step up production.
“The northeast is endowed with enormous potential in the agriculture-horticulture and other allied sectors and these have to be tapped to the optimum level to step up production in a big way.” The region could act as a catalyst towards ushering in a second green revolution in the country. The Ministry, with the aim of giving emphasis on improving the marketing infrastructure in the region, had earmarked Rs. 380 crore.
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