Take to oilseeds, cash crops, farmers urged

Our Correspondent

Nurpur, February 12

Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister Chander Kumar has directed the officials of agriculture and animal husbandry departments to make latest technologies available to farmers so that agriculture can be made profitable to attract people to adopt it as their principal avocation.

Kisan Samridhi Kendra

• Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister Chander Kumar inaugurated a Prime Minister Kisan Samridhi Kendra at Bharmar in the Jawali constituency
• Farmers will get fertilisers, insecticides, seeds and implements, besides latest technical know-how under one roof at the kendra

He also asked them to intensify soil testing by visiting fields to assess the soil characteristics of each area and guide the farmers accordingly.

The minister was speaking after opening a Prime Minister Kisan Samridhi Kendra at Bharmar in the neighbouring Jawali Assembly constituency last evening.

The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), Shimla, has opened the Prime Minister Kisan Samridhi Kendra in the area so that farmers can get agricultural inputs

like fertilisers, insecticides, seeds and implements, besides latest technical know-how under one roof. Farmers will also be able to get soil samples tested at the centre.

The minister exhorted the farmers to diversify and take to cultivation of oilseeds (tilhan), cash and flower crops besides cereals and pulses so that their income could get a boost.

Kumar directed the department officials to coordinate the activities of self-help women groups in rural areas and motivate them to adopt horticulture and dairy farming.

“In view of the increasing demand for organic products, the farmers should adopt intensive agriculture with natural farming.

The State Agriculture Department and Palampur Agricultural University are providing technical guidance to the farmers for undertaking natural farming,” Kumar added.

The minister further said the state government was contemplating to rope in government-owned temples to check menace of stray animals. He said the government would establish gausadans on land belonging to such temples.

Meanwhile, IFFCO state marketing manager Dr Bhuvnesh Pathania said IFFCO was providing best quality nano liquid urea as an alternative to conventional urea. “The farmers should get rid of conventional urea fertilisers as the new one is an environment friendly farm input and cheaper than teh conventional urea,” he added.