TEZPUR, Oct 17 - An agri-consultancy and extension service centre was inaugurated recently at Dekargaon-Baruahchuburi area near Mission Chariali here.
The formal inauguration ceremony of the agro-project christened �Panchoi Agri-Clinic� was attended by Dr TC Mahanta, Principal Scientist (Agronomy), RARS Lakhimpur, SS Saha, Chief manager, NABARD, Assam Regional Office, Pritam Nath, DDM, NABARD, Sonitpur among others.
In her keynote address, co-founder of the UCO bank financed and NABARD supported farmer-friendly project, Kasturi Sarmah mentioned that the programme aims to tap the expertise available in the large pool of Agriculture/Chemistry/Life Science Graduates. �Irrespective of whether a fresh graduate or not, or whether currently employed or not, one can set up their own Agri-Clinic or Agri-Business Centre and offer professional extension services to innumerable farmers. Committed to this programme, the Government is now also providing start-up training to graduates in Agriculture, or any subject allied to Agriculture like Horticulture, Sericulture, Veterinary Sciences, Forestry, Dairy, Poultry Farming, and Fisheries, etc. Those completing the training can apply for special start-up loans for venture.� Kasturi said adding the project targets to provide the farmers basic farming inputs with extension services to enhance the productivity and profitability in agriculture thereby foreseeing expert advice and services to farmers on various aspects to enhance productivity of crops and incomes of farmers.
�It will increase utilisation efficiency of costly inputs thus reducing the unit cost of produce; increasing cropping intensity and additional employment generation at the farmers� level. Apart from the soil and water testing services, the unit can also widen its scope for providing farmers bio-fertilisers and pesticides so that utilisation of chemical fertilisers can be reduced to an extent. It also aims at reducing uncertainty and drudgery in farm operations and employment generation through setting up of agri-clinics on farm machinery,� she maintained.
She also stated that the project will deal with soil testing (all micro-nutrients) at reasonable rate, recommendation of suitable crop as per the soil report, water quality (for irrigation and fishery) testing, providing recommendation on fertility management and fertiliser application, suitable inputs like bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides, etc., creating awareness about the utilisation of bio-fertilisers instead of chemical fertilisers among the farmers, reclamation and related technical guidance, training and demonstration to the farmers, integrated input-use, improved compost-making, etc.
Earlier speaking on the occasion, the dignitaries urged both the people associated with the newly set-up farm and the farmers to remain connected for taking forward an organic world thereby benefiting the society.
