Raghubar Das, Chief Minister of Jharkhand said that contribution of farmers and workers from villages is a must for the overall development of state as well as the nation.
Addressing the Global Agriculture and Food Summit 2018 organized by Jharkhand government and FICCI in Ranchi, Das said agriculture is the soul of our country and base of culture and traditions, in fact all our festivals are directly and indirectly related to agriculture. The Chief Minister said in Jharkhand 60 to 70 % population depends on agriculture and hence the state government has sanctioned adequate funds for the development of agriculture and allied activities and also framed a separate food processing policy which is focused on bottling and packaging as food processing was an important link between farmers and urban customers.
He added that online foundation has been laid for 50 food processing companies which will create employment opportunities for the youth and farmers would also get right cost of their products. Praising the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to improve farmers’ condition and double their incomes by 2022, he suggested that farmers should try to earn 1/3rd of income from agriculture, another 1/3rd from animal husbandry and 1/3rd from horticulture, floriculture and solar farming.
He said that it is state government’s priority to ensure that farmers are not looted by the middlemen. He mentioned that 28 lakh farmers in Jharkhand would be given mobile phones from 2019-21 and in 2019 the premium of crop insurance would be paid by state government. He told that farmers who will pay their loans within one year will have to pay no interest.
Das emphasized that power would reach all homes by 2018 and by May 2019 separate feeders would be set for agriculture so that farmers can get power for six hours for farming while separate feeders would be provided for household and industrial usages. He urged the farmers to focus on dairy production to bring White revolution by 2022 in the state and said that every year 100 farmers would be sent abroad.
