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'Centre keen to develop agriculture in NE'

By Sobhapati Samom

EROISHEMBA (MANIPUR), Nov 10 - Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Thursday said the Centre is focusing exclusively on the development of agricultural sector in the Northeastern region and implementing a number of agriculture related programmes considering its unlimited potentialities.

Informing that the budget under agriculture education for NE States was just Rs 150 crore, he said it was enhanced to Rs 170 crore during 2014-15. There has also been an unprecedented enhancement of almost Rs 500 crore for agricultural research budget which is now Rs 2,020 crore during 2016-17. Further, allocation for agriculture extension has gone up to Rs 750 crore, a jump of Rs 70 crore, the Union Minister added.

The Minister, on his maiden visit to the State, was speaking at the inaugural function of the three-day Regional Agriculture Fair 2016-17 at Central Agricultural University (CAU) here, near Imphal.

He also announced setting up of an Integrated Bee-keeping Development Centre (IBDC) in Manipur considering the �substantial and concrete opportunities for bee-keeping industry in NE�.

Radha Mohan also assured that infrastructure required for the growth of scientific bee-keeping will be made available at the proposed IBDC at CAU campus.

He, however, expressed unhappiness over the distribution of only about 3,302 soil health cards in Manipur.

In his welcome address, CAU Vice Chancellor Dr M Premjit Singh said that the university is the biggest agricultural varsity in the country with 13 colleges under it.

He informed that around 2,000 farmers including 70 from other NE States are taking part in the Regional Agriculture Fair.

CAU Chancellor Dr RB Singh, Vice Chancellor of Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat, Dr KM Bujarbarua, officers and scientists of ICAR and KVKs are also attending the fair.

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