Bhubaneswar, May 19 (IANS) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said eastern India, with its fertile land, abundant water resources, diverse climatic conditions, and hardworking farmers, has the potential to emerge as the growth engine of India’s agricultural development with the right interventions and policy support.

Chouhan was speaking during the Eastern Regional Agriculture Conference held in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

The Union Agriculture Minister inaugurated the conference along with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

Representatives from Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal attended the conference, which focused on a wide range of issues, including increasing pulses and oilseeds production, integrated farming for small and marginal farmers, and natural farming.

Addressing the inaugural session, Chouhan said the conference was not merely a formal event, but a serious platform for shaping a new direction for agriculture, farmers’ livelihoods, and regional agricultural strategy in eastern India.

Calling farmers not just ‘Annadatas’ but ‘Jeevandatas’, Chouhan said serving farmers was akin to serving God.

He outlined three key priorities for the agriculture sector: ensuring food security for 1.4 billion people, providing nutritious food, and enhancing farmers’ incomes and livelihoods.

The Union Minister stressed that increasing production, reducing cultivation costs, ensuring remunerative prices, compensating losses, and diversifying agriculture were the foremost priorities.

Chouhan emphasised that combining crop cultivation with horticulture, fisheries, animal husbandry, beekeeping, and agro-forestry could significantly enhance the incomes of small farmers.

He urged the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, state agriculture ministers, and officials to ensure that integrated farming models are demonstrated to farmers in an inspiring and practical manner.

Emphasising sustainable agriculture, the Union Minister warned that indiscriminate use of fertilisers without soil testing increases input costs and damages soil fertility.

Chouhan urged states to encourage farmers to use fertilisers only as per scientific requirements.

He appealed to farmers to adopt natural farming practices on at least a portion of their land.

The Union Minister announced that a nationwide ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ would be launched from June 1, focusing on balanced fertiliser use, soil health, adoption of modern technology, awareness of government schemes, and farmer education.

The agriculture minister stressed the need to prevent diversion of subsidised fertilisers and ensure that subsidised inputs are used strictly for farming purposes.

Describing fake fertilisers, substandard seeds, and counterfeit pesticides as serious crimes against farmers, Chouhan said a large-scale campaign would be launched against such practices.

He also emphasised the need for stricter laws and stronger action by states to ensure that farmers receive quality agricultural inputs without unnecessary increases in cultivation costs.

Chouhan said eastern India possesses immense potential to make the country self-reliant in these sectors.

The Union Minister also emphasised the need to take scientific research and technology directly to farmers through the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and other scientific institutions.

He further stressed the importance of horticulture, high-value crops such as mangoes, export potential, clean planting material, nursery systems, and market-oriented agriculture.

According to Chouhan, fruits, vegetables, and speciality crops cultivated in eastern India have the potential to fetch better prices not only in domestic markets but also in export markets.

–IANS

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