SHILLONG, Oct 18: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has accentuated the need to involve scientific interventions in agricultural practices, while maintaining that doing so will help the government realise its goal of increasing the income of farmers.
The chief minister said this during the inauguration of newly constructed administrative building of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Mawthadraishan, Eastern West Khasi Hills.
After inaugurating the infrastructure, Conrad said it will greatly enhance the functioning of the KVKs in the region in terms of the support they can render to the farmers to take up various farming activities.
“Farmers make up for more than 70 per cent of the population in the state. Most of the families depend on one or the other form of agriculture for their daily livelihood. Hence, to be able to have significant impact on the lives of the people of the state, we need to ensure that we are able to put enough investment in agriculture,” the chief minister said.
Stressing that scientific interventions and use of various technologies in agriculture is the need of the hour, he said, “In the last 4.5 years, this government introduced various mission mode programme like jackfruit mission, the mushroom mission, the turmeric mission, ginger mission, aroma mission, spice mission and so on and so forth. We are opening up different opportunities for our farming communities.”
Conrad added that through the use of right technology and scientific methods, the target for better yields is possible in the farming sector.
“This is an age of technology and scientific practices. The KVKs will play a pivotal role in ensuring that proper training is given to the farmers and the right technology is introduced to them,” he said.