Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today said drip irrigation was a must for semi arid regions specially in Rajasthan and Gujarat where water was scarce and farming was dependent on rains.
"Without a drop of water there cannot be any farming. So the first thing is to adopt drip irrigation in semi arid zone especially in Rajasthan and Gujarat where water is scarce and farming was dependent only in raid-fed areas," Patel said while addressing Bharatiya Kisan Sangh's all India conference here.
Despite scarcity of water in Banaskantha of Rann of Kutch, the agriculture production was higher due to drip irrigation in over 2 to 3 lakh hectares, and fertilizers were used minimally, she said.
Talking about women's contribution in animal rearing in Gujarat, she said the state is promoting animal husbandry run by women who contribute about 70 per cent in the overall milk production.
Financial assistance in automatic milk collection system, bulk milk cooker, milk adulteration detection machine would be another features for women engaged in animal husbandry, Patel said.
On the Neem-coated fertilizers, Patel said Gujarat had earned Rs 10 to 12 crore on using "Nimbori" (fruit of neem plant) for coating purpose, and now farmers were getting full fertilizers in every crop season.
Many working women in the age group of 30 to 60 used to have cervical or breast cancer and the state had extended free screening and treatment to such women in government hospitals, she noted.
She also said there was a whole lot of reforms in land sale and buy deals and system was made transparent and no land mafia could grab any agriculture land from any one in the state.
Gujarat government was committed to organic farming, and if farmers move ahead, the government would extend help to them at all levels, she said.
About 5,000 delegates affiliated to state units of Bhartiya Kisan Sangh are participating in the five-day conference in which agricultural appliances, gadgets, seeds, fertilizers, machines were put in expo which was inaugurated jointly by Gujarat and Rajasthan Chief Ministers Anandiben Patel and Vasundhara Raje respectively.
