GUWAHATI, Feb 9 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today asserted that the government is committed to uplifting the condition of the farming community and stressed the need for coordination between the irrigation and soil conservation departments to give a boost to the agriculture sector.
Taking part as the chief guest at the inaugural function of national level conference �Farmers First for Conserving Soil and Water Resources in North Eastern Region� (FFCSWR-2017) in the College of Veterinary Science auditorium, Khanapara here, Sonowal said that these conferences would act as a platform for coming up with innovative solutions for water and soil conservation and encourage the farmers to go for multi-cropping.
Stating that this year�s budget shows the commitment of the government towards the farming community of the State as substantial financial allocation has been made in the agriculture sector, Sonowal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi�s vision of making the north-eastern region an organic hub would be realised as organic farming practices would be intensively encouraged in the State in the coming years.
Referring to the Chief Minister�s Samagra Grammya Unnayan Yojna (CMSGUY), Sonowal said the scheme has been launched to achieve holistic development of the villages by finding out the core strength of every village and working towards making that strength sustainable and economically viable. Village tourism is one area through which the government is keen to achieve economic uplift of the villages, added Sonowal.
�Along with the agricultural sector we will transform the villages into hubs of economic activity in the coming years,� said the Chief Minister.
Noting that farmers in several districts of the State are involved in triple cropping in a year Sonowal said that he has decided to interact with all such progressive farmers to get first-hand experience of their success stories and has directed the soil conservation department to popularise rainwater harvesting and take steps for retaining the water level of integrated watershed projects for judicious utilisation of water during the winter season.
Quoting the Situation Assessment Survey, Sonowal said that during the period from 2002-03 to 2012-13, farm income in Assam was recorded only 0.88 per cent as against the national average of 5.2 per cent, which is very poor and he urged the agricultural scientists of the State to come up with ways to increase the farm income so that the young generation is attracted towards taking up farming as a means of livelihood.
Vice Chancellor of Assam Agricultural University KM Bujarbarua and other agricultural scientists of repute from different parts of the country were present on the occasion.
