Migration killing farming in hilly regions, says Minister
Dehra Dun: Expressing concern over the dwindling practise of farming in hilly areas due to migration, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat on Sunday.
“People in the hilly areas are no longer farming. Migration is largely responsible for the dwindling practice,” he said at a seminar. “ Only old people are left there.”
Mr. Rawat said he was shocked to see that farmers no longer grow traditional crops in his village in Almora district. “We used to eat a lot of plums, apricots and other fruits in my village during my childhood. But people there are no longer interested in farming now.”
He expressed concern over the decreasing size of farming land belonging to the prestigious Pantnagar agricultural university in Kumaon region.
“This university contributed a lot during the first agricultural revolution in the country. But now, most of its land has been given for industrial use. How can researchers there actually carry out experiments for which they need farmland?” — PTI
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