Cabinet Minister Virender Kanwar exhorts scientists and farm officers to make H.P. self reliant in seeds

 

Shri Virender Kanwar, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Govt. of H.P. has exhorted the scientists and farm officers to make the state self reliant on seed requirements of major crops. The Minister was chairing a meeting of scientists and officers at CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, here today.

Shri Kanwar said that progressive farmers should be involved in massive seed production programme and efforts should be made to make Himachal Pradesh self sufficient in its seed requirements to save resources and have check on quality. He informed that there was a boon in agriculture and horticulture during the pandemic as a large number of people have adopted farming after returning to their roots from big cities.

He said that industrialization propelled migration from villages to cities and some people considered farming inferior and now youngsters want to join petty government jobs. Such people should be given different farming models so that they gladly adopt agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, etc.

He recalled the times when farmers used to grow cereal and pulses , rear milch cattle and other animals but they abandoned such integrated system of farming due to green revolution. He also underlined the need to check unauthorised sale and quality of insecticides, pesticides, animal feed and other farm inputs. Shri Kanwar said that that only that research is worth which is useful to the farming community. He also advised the University to make serious efforts for becoming self reliant by enhancing domestic income He suggested adopting limited number of farmers in each Panchayat and training them to adopt natural farming or other models of farming for more income and safe food production.

Shri Kanwar appreciated the University for developing and releasing thirteen crop varieties recently.

Prof H.K.Chaudhary, Vice-Chancellor, detailed major achievements in academic, research and extension education activities. He said that the University was committed to work relentlessly for the socio-economic development of the farming community with quality human resources development, need based research and transferring the useful technology to the nook and corner of the State. He also informed about new research endeavours like recent release of 13 crop varieties and efforts to register 51 technologies in the Golden Jubilee year of the State, work on producing only female calves, work on Pahari cow, conservation of genetic resources and creation of seed gene bank, new MoUs, etc. The Vice-Chancellor expressed his gratitude to the Govt. of H.P. for constant support and sought funds to the tune of Rs.4.50 crore for the compound wall of the University.

Shri Pankaj Sharma, HAS, Registrar welcomed the Minister and other dignitaries.

The Minister released compendium on ‘Fertility management in cows of Himachal Pradesh’ authored by Drs. Madhumeet Singh, Parvesh Kumar and Akshay Sharma and ‘Dynamic Agricultural Scenario in H.P.-stories of promising rural Agri-preneures’ by Drs. Y.P.Thakur Desh Raj Chaudhary, Lab Bhushan and Deepika Sud.

Earlier, the Minister inaugurated research projects and infrastructure worth Rs.1.23 crore including a project on conservation and propagation of Gaddi dogs worth Rs.78 lakh, layer poultry house worth Rs. 20 lakh and hydroponic unit worth Rs.25 lakh. The Minister visited natural farming unit and veterinary clinics.

Dr Ajay Sharma, IAS, Secretary (Agriculture),Shri Rakesh Kanwar, IAS, Special Secretary (Agriculture & Finance) and Secretary to Governor, Shri Naresh Thakur, HAS, Director Agriculture, Dr Ajmer Dogra, Director Animal Husbandry, Dr Rajeshwar Chandel, Executive Director, SPNF, Dr.J.S.Rana, Chief Advisor JICA and some other senior officers from the Govt. of H.P. and Statutory Officers from the University were present on the occasion