Delhi, June 3: At least 9 Clean Plant projects will be set up in India soon said, Union Minister for Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday.
Gracing India’s first International Agri Hackathon in Pune, the Minister said, the innovation and enthusiasm demonstrated by the participants and applauded Maharashtra’s significant contributions to horticultural excellence.
"Maharashtra has emerged as a horticulture hub of the country. The combined efforts of the Government and the hard work of its farmers have set an example for the rest of the nation," said Chouhan.
He also congratulated Maharashtra for its record production of grapes, pomegranates, oranges, chickpeas and various vegetables.
There is no guarantee whether the plants available for cultivation in the horticulture sector are disease-free and productive or not. To solve this problem, the Union Minister stated that the Central Government will launch the 'Clean Plant' program. This program will ensure that the plants available to farmers are disease-free, he said. 9 'Clean Plant' projects will be started across the country, out of which 3 projects will be set up in Maharashtra at a cost of Rs 300 crore. Under this, Chouhan further added, projects will be started in Pune for grapes, in Nagpur for oranges and in Solapur for pomegranates. Along with these projects, he informed that modern nurseries will also be set up. Those who use technology for agriculture will be supported by these nurseries. Rs 3 crore will be provided for large nurseries and Rs 1.5 crore for medium-sized nurseries. Through these nurseries, 8 crore disease-free seedlings will be available to farmers every year. The Minister therefore expressed confidence that Maharashtra's horticulture will be able to compete with the world.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said that cooperation from countries like Israel and the Netherlands will also be taken to implement this program.
The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare reiterated the resolution of a developed India presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, he said that this resolution cannot be realized in reality without developed agriculture and prosperous farmers. He also mentioned that measures are necessary to increase the production per hectare, reduce the cost of production, get fair prices for agricultural products and compensation for losses for farmers to benefit from agriculture.
Elaborating further, the Minister stated, scientists work in laboratories to produce good seeds, increase production and diagnose diseases. However, their research does not reach the farmers in a timely manner. To bridge this gap, the Government is trying to bring scientists and farmers together through 'Lab to Land'. For this, he said, the Central Government has taken an important decision that sixteen thousand scientists from across the country will come out of the laboratories and work directly with the farmers and with the Agriculture Department of the Central Government. He expressed his belief that if science and farmers come together and they get the support of the Government and Agricultural Universities, miracles will happen in the agricultural sector.
Chouhan also said that there is a misconception that the youth do not want to enter the agricultural sector. However, he appealed to the youth to use their skills and enter the agricultural sector and initiate start startups. He also expressed the need to develop seed varieties that are adaptable to climate change to avoid damage. He assured that the government will leave no stone unturned to solve every problem of the farmers.
Chouhan also put forth the resolve to export the country’s agricultural products all over the world after satisfying the needs of the citizens of India and to make India a food bank of the world. He said that Maharashtra will play an important role in this. He appealed to the farmers to develop their agriculture and contribute to the journey of a developed India.
