Develop technologies for farmers, Union Minister tells scientists

Union Minister Kailash Choudhary on Saturday urged scientists to come up with innovative technologies to help farmers and emphasized on developing the organic farming in the north-east region. He also said the agriculture sector will have to play a "very important role" to achieve USD 5-trillion economy target by 2024-25.

READ: Organic Agriculture University To Come Up In Goa Soon

Choudhary addressed ICAR-24th Regional Committee Meeting 

Addressing the two-day ICAR-24th Regional Committee Meeting for Zone-III here, Choudhary, who is union minister of state for agriculture and farmers' welfare, said, "Scientists should come up with innovative technologies which benefit the farmers." He emphasized on developing organic farming in the north-east region, eliminating harmful fertilizers and pesticide usages which have alarmingly increased the health hazards among people of the country. He also urged researchers to focus on developing technologies to empower farmers for organic farming.

READ: Health Concious? Here's A Lost Of Organic Food To Include In Your Diet

ICAR has set up eight regional committees

Assam's agriculture and food processing minister Atul Bora said the state government has focused on a maximum utilization of the resources available. Dr. T Mohapatra, secretary of the department of agricultural research and education, urged the participants in the meeting to stress the strength of the agricultural sector and to use the resources of the region for maximum benefits. The regional committee comprises seven northeastern states and Sikkim to provide a forum to researchers and the state governments' functionaries to examine the major gaps in the current research and training efforts in the farming sector. Apart from production, post-harvest management, processing, and marketing should be an integral part of the research activities, said Mohapatra who is also director-general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.ICAR has set up eight regional committees on the basis of agro-climatic regions.

READ: '100 Per Cent Organic State' Sikkim Gets FAO Award For Best Policies

READ: Schools In Kochi Promote Organic Farming