Need quality seeds to make farming beneficial: Rawat

Underlining the need for the use of good quality seeds in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Harish Rawat said 80 per cent farmers in the plains and 33 per cent in the hills will have to be provided with modern seeds over the next two years to make farming beneficial.

Inaugurating the Krishak Mahotsav 2014 here on Wednesday, Rawat said availability of good quality seeds to farmers, use of modern and cheaper farming techniques and helping farmers get the right price for their produce are three focus areas identified by the state government to promote agriculture in the state.

Setting a target for the agriculture department, he said at least 100 farmers in every block be registered as seed producers and a few as nursery producers. Production of plants should also be encouraged as business. Under the Humare Ped Humara Dhan scheme, planting of fodder and fruit producing trees is also being promoted, he said.

The need is to develop fruit markets, Rawat said. To provide a market to fruits produced in the state, orders have been issued to include 10 per cent fruit content in local liquor, he said. Putting emphasis on mechanical farming, Rawat said he was not averse to increasing the subsidy on farming equipment if the need for doing so is felt. However, in comparison to other states, Uttarakhand is getting more farm subsidies, he said.