NEW DIRECTION TO AGRICULTURE—FROM COARSE GRAINS TO FISH FARMING, CONCRETE INITIATIVES FOR EMPOWERMENT OF FARMERS

NEW DIRECTION TO AGRICULTURE—FROM COARSE GRAINS TO FISH FARMING, CONCRETE INITIATIVES FOR EMPOWERMENT OF FARMERS

21-AUG-ENG 4

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------A meeting of the District Level Agriculture Task Force was organized on 20.08.2025 under the chairmanship of Deputy Development Commissioner Bhojpur, Smt. Gunjan Singh. On this occasion, the progress of various schemes run by the Agriculture Department was reviewed and many important decisions were taken in the interest of farmers. In the meeting, the Deputy Development Commissioner directed that cluster based farming should be ensured by preparing a roadmap to promote the cultivation of coarse grains (millets). A group of millets producing farmers should be formed to connect farmers with the millets processing plant located at Sakkadi, Koilwar and a special meeting should be organized for capacity building of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO). To empower the farmers technically, instructions were also given to make arrangements for providing them professional training in agricultural universities and best institutions in the state and outside the state. Also, emphasis was laid on providing information to farmers and encouraging them towards biofortified varieties. The Deputy Development Commissioner also directed to develop the sales system of organic products with the aim of promoting organic farming. In the field of fisheries, necessary guidelines were given to the District Fisheries Officer to provide the latest technical information to all the fish farmers and to establish hatcheries in the district. At the same time, it was decided to link pea producers with agencies to ensure fair prices. Instructions were also given to take necessary action by contacting Sudha and other agencies to ensure the sale of mushrooms produced by women farmers at the rural level. The Deputy Development Commissioner said that the aim of all these efforts is to make farmers technically competent, provide support at every level from production to marketing and move agriculture towards self-reliance.

On this occasion, District Agriculture Officer, District Fisheries Officer, District Development Manager, NABARD, Assistant Director Chemicals, Deputy Project Director, ATMA and other related officers were present.