Agricultural think tank of the State, Birsa Agricultural University (BAU) has initiated various training programmes in an attempt to transform lives of people living in rural areas of the State.
In an exclusive conversation with the Pioneer, BAU Vice Chancellor (VC) RS Kureel said that as the agriculture sector is facing big problems due to climate change, the University is running various programmes and researches to provide farmers better income opportunities so that they can improve their living standard.
“Instead of paddy and wheat, we are focusing on other agricultural products. Our main focus areas are fisheries, dairy, goatary, poultry, horticulture, piggery and bee keeping. A lot of training programmes are being conducted for the farmers by the University in these sectors,” said Kureel.
Kureel said that BAU and Department of Agriculture, Government of Jharkhand held a meeting couple of days earlier to provide international market for agricultural produce of the State for which there is a need to form an institution. The institution should work on the lines of the autonomous body of Central Government, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which is providing market to the farmers’ of the Country on national and international level.
“We have concluded that we will create an institution which will first gather the produce to keep the them in buffer stock. This would be followed by good packaging and transportation of the produce to a proper market where it can get better price than local market,” said Kureel.
As tribal forms 27 per cent of total population in Jharkhand, the VC said that BAU is focused on uplifting their lives as well. He said that there is a need to constitute a plan to link them with mainstream society, as around 20 to 25 per cent of total tribal population is still living in forest areas.
“Now they (tribals) also want to be a part of the mainstream society. A meeting was held in the first week of August with officials of Tribal Affairs Department of Centre and State Governments to provide benefits of Tribal Sub Plan (TSP). It was decided during the meeting that there is a lacuna in implementation of policies so we have to focus on proper implementation of the plan and only then can the tribals be uplifted,” said Kureel.
The VC opined that the farming sector in the country has developed a lot in last 70 years. He pointed out that at the time of independence in 1947, India was only producing 50 million tonnes (MT) of food grains and now it is producing around 290 MT, the credit for which goes to the hard work of agricultural scientists.
“We need a strong system of Research and Development in every field. Our scientists are doing remarkable work in various fields but they are facing problems due to lack of research facilities. Earlier Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) was established to strengthen research but there is need to provide more resources to such kinds of institution if the Country has to become superpower in the world,” said Kureel.
