Govt committed to encourage food processing units in State’
Chief Minister Hemant Soren today laid the foundation of 14 rice mills in 10 districts of the State. “By promoting food processing units in Jharkhand, it is the priority of our government to provide fair price to the farmers here for their produce. Due to paucity of resources our farmer brothers have to face many challenges. The State government is working to improve the resources keeping in mind all the links including maintenance, storage and milling of crops. Our government is moving ahead continuously in the field of animal husbandry, fisheries including rice mills, other food processing units,” said the CM on the occasion.
The CM further said that Jharkhand is an agricultural state. About 70% of the people here depend on agriculture. Our farmers are the real key in the all-round progress of the State. Farmers are the class in whose hands the power of production is there and the state government has taken a pledge to strengthen these hands with its welfare schemes. He said that due to paucity of rice mills in the state, farmers were not getting adequate price for their produce. With the opening of rice mills, those problems will now come to an end.
Soren said that today we are laying the foundation stone of 14 rice mills in 10 districts, but with these 14 rice mills, the target of our people will not be fulfilled, for this we will have to set up at least 100 rice mills units in the state. Only then the target will be fulfilled, in this direction our government is moving slowly. It is our endeavour that in the fields where the foundation stone of rice mills is being laid, all these units can be made at the earliest and dedicated to the service of farmers. Improved agriculture, prosperous farmers is the resolve of our government.
The CM said that under the Food Processing Policy, Jharkhand Industrial Area Development Authority is providing land to the investors at concessional rates. The state government is encouraging investors in many ways to set up processing units in the state. He said that opening of new and modern rice mills would give a big support to the farmers of the State as well as the economy of Jharkhand. With the establishment of rice mills, a large number of local people will also get employment opportunities.
On this occasion, Minister of Food Supplies and Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs, Rameshwar Oraon said in his address, “There is a dire need of rice mills in the State. In the absence of rice mills, the farmers of the State had to send their crops to other states for milling. There is a need to set up food processing units including pulse mill, flour meal and other food processing units in Jharkhand, only then the farmers here will get fair price for their crops. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the State Government is doing better work in every field.”
On this occasion Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Rajiv Arun Ekka, Secretary to Chief Minister Vinay Kumar Choubey, Secretary, Food Supplies and Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Department Himani Pandey, Industries Director Jitendra Kumar Singh and many other dignitaries were present.
