Make agriculture a fully viable occupation: VP :: 'Focus on pisciculture, aquaculture'
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR

Imphal, April 18 2018: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has asserted that agriculture should be made a fully viable occupation in all parts of India to boost the country's economy.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the valedictory function of the "One-day State Level Workshop on Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture for Doubling of Farmers' Income", jointly organised by the Government of Manipur and Central Agricultural University at City Convention Centre, Palace Compound, Imphal East today.

M Venkaiah Naidu also stressed on the need to practise agriculture in a manner which may help in restraining global warming.

Stating that the North East is gifted with good rainfall and vast water bodies, the Vice President said that the region should focus on pisciculture and aquaculture for economic development.

He also mentioned about boosting farmers' economy through large scale production of indigenous items like scented black rice (Chakhao), king chilli, ginger, turmeric, orange, pineapple etc., which are suitable to the soil of the State.

In order to work towards this end, the State Government needs to put in effort with assistance from Central institutes like ICAR, IBSD, CAU and KVK etc, he added.

Development bears no meaning if it does not reach each and every citizen of the State and the country, Venkaiah Naidu said while adding that enhancement of connectivity is a must to ensure development even at interior areas.

Instead of discussing about issues, reasons and problems, one should focus on finding solutions, he said while adding that researchers should come up with ideas on training farmers and stakeholders, develop marketing and export strategies, establishment of value addition facilities and packaging etc.

The State Government needs to focus more on implementation and development to increase farmers' income, he added.

He further said that Manipur is not a poor State but rich in different fields.

People should learn to tap dividends from its potentials, the Vice President added.

Stating that the Government of India has not undermined talents but recognised it, Venkaiah Naidu said that Mary Kom, Sanjita Chanu and Mirabai Chanu had done the whole country proud in the recently .concluded Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in Australia.

And it is because of these talents that the Government of India had decided to set up the only National Sports University of the country in the State, he said while adding that size of any State does not matter but talent matters.

He said that every citizen of the country should think India as a one Nation forgetting all differences of community, religion, region and language.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh attended the function as president while Governor Najma Heptulla, Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar, Forest and Environment Minister Th Shyamkumar and Central Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor M Premjit attended as guests of honour.

Governor Dr Najma Heptulla said that agriculture and allied activities are the mainstay of Manipur's economy as about 70 per cent of the people depend on it.

Industrial growth in the State is very insignificant and the growth of agriculture in the State also has been quite uneven and unsatisfactory as it still depends on seasonal rainfall, she added.

Stating that lack of connectivity and short working season are constraints on the economic development of the State, Heptulla said that the State is still lagging far behind other States of India in terms of availability of infrastructure for social and economic development.

Chief Minister N Biren said that doubling farmers' income would be possible only if the State can best utilize the vast untapped potentials of reservoir of resources present in major farming systems.

He said, "We have large untapped area in the hilly regions.

What we need is introduction of appropriate technology for these areas to increase productivity and make the fanning system competitive and sustainable.

We need to promote farming systems based on high value agriculture like horticulture and animal husbandry.

Not only this, we need to adopt successful three-dimensional cropping as well as sustainable farming system involving crop -livestock-pisciculture integration." Ministers, MLAs, high ranking officials of the State and Central Government and scientists from different parts of the country were also present at the occasion.

The workshop had two technical sessions.

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