NALBARI, Dec 7 � The Agriculture Department of the State Government has started procurement of rice after fixation of support price by the State Government.
The Agriculture Minister Nilamani Sen Deka visited Jagara village in Nalbari district on Friday to launch a potato scheme and disclosed that the department had started the drive to purchase rice from the farmers from December 1 at a support price between Rs 1,080 to Rs 1,110 per quintal. The Minister further stated that initially the drive was undertaken only in 13 districts of the State so that the poor farmers may get the benefit.
The Minister was optimistic that the State will succeed in exporting agricultural products to other States within the next three years. He further added that as the demand of processed foods are very high in the market, the government has decided to set up 160 food processing units in the State so that the farmers may get remunerative prices for their products.
The Minister continued that an agriculture training centre will be set at Lakhopur in his own constituency at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore, the next year.
In order to ensure women�s involvement in the agricultural sector, the government has decided to provide more emphasis on women. The Minister informed that the Agriculture Department has planned to distribute 8,000 power tillers next year and 4,000 of them will be given to women alone. He informed that the State Government had been stressing on mechanised agriculture.
The Minister was accompanied by the Nalbari Deputy Commissioner Lalit Gogoi.
