Centre, state committed to make Uttarakhand a national horticulture hub: Chouhan

Dehradun, Jun 6 (PTI) The Centre and Uttarakhand government are committed to making the state a national hub of horticulture, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday.

Interacting with farmers at a Kisan Chaupal in Pavwala Sauda village under Doiwala block of Dehradun, the agriculture minister said, "The quality of fruits, grains and vegetables grown in Uttarakhand is unique and they have full potential to make a mark at the global level." "The Centre and the state government together will make Uttarakhand a national hub of horticulture," he said.

During his visit, the minister also planted a sapling as part of the ongoing Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam (a tree in the name of the mother) campaign.

Chouhan interacted with litchi, basmati rice, jackfruit and vegetable producers, and talked about issues relating to seeds, irrigation, marketing, and the crop insurance scheme.

"I am from a farmer family, I know the pain of farmers. That is why today I have come directly to the farm and sat on the cot so that I can know whether the benefits of the government schemes are reaching the ground or not. Direct communication with the farmers ensures their strong participation," he said at the Chaupal.

Talking to the media, he said the state government is doing excellent work in the field of agriculture under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

The Centre, along with the Uttarakhand government, will ensure that the farmers here not only get the benefit of modern agricultural techniques but also get markets for their products at the national and international level, he said.

Further, Chouhan said farming will be made more profitable in future by giving special emphasis on natural farming, technological innovation and water conservation.

Later, addressing farmers at another programme organised under Vikasit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, Chouhan said priority will be given to Uttarakhand under the National Agriculture Development Scheme to solve the problem of destruction of crops by wild animals.

"All the farmers of Uttarakhand whom I met, demanded wire fencing of the fields to protect the crops from wild animals. Uttarakhand will be given priority for this under the National Agricultural Development Scheme," he said.

This will be an important step towards securing farming in the state, he said.

Chouhan said as the agriculture minister, his principal role is to visit the fields and work for the development of agriculture by communicating directly with the farmers.

"The real laboratory for agricultural scientists is the field itself. So, we conceived the idea of connecting 'lab to land' and starting the 'Vikasit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' by going from village to village with teams of 16,000 scientists," the minister said.

Scientists are going to villages across the country and communicating with the farmers with an advance estimate on the speciality of every region, climatic variations, fertility capacity of the soil and every minute of information.

In Uttarakhand too, 75 such teams of scientists are communicating directly with the farmers, he said.

The yield of fruits and vegetables in Uttarakhand is excellent compared to any other region. The apples here are now competing with those of Kashmir, which shows the progress of the horticulture sector here, the minister said.

Due to the medicinal qualities of Kafal, a fruit endemic to Uttarakhand, demand for it is increasing in the world as well.

Talking about coarse grains, he said demand for Uttarakand's Mandua (millet) is growing.

To increase the production of other useful traditional grains apart from 'Mandua', we will have to make efforts, produce good quality seeds and also pay attention to marketing and branding, he said.

A roadmap is being prepared for the development of agriculture in Uttarakhand and making it a fruit-producing hub internationally. PTI ALM ALM DIV SHW BAL BAL