SHILLONG, June 20: Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Timothy D. Shira has urged farmers in Meghalaya to make greater use of government schemes and explore direct marketing avenues to improve their income and reduce dependence on middlemen.
Addressing a programme organised at the ICAR Research Complex for the North Eastern Hill Region, Umiam, Shira acknowledged the crucial role played by farmers in ensuring food security and noted that marginal farmers continue to face numerous challenges. He encouraged farmers to sell perishable produce directly to processing units and work closely with state and central agencies to strengthen the agricultural sector.
The programme, organised by ICAR-NEH Region in collaboration with KVK Ri-Bhoi and the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, was attended by 172 farmers along with officials from the state government and ICAR.
During the programme, Agriculture Secretary R. Nainamalai said Meghalaya’s farmers have an important role in the state’s development and stressed the need for wider awareness of farmer-centric schemes at the grassroots level.
On the other hand, Director of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare S. Rani reaffirmed the department’s commitment to improving farmers’ livelihoods and encouraged cultivators to seek technical support and assistance from the department.
Meanwhile, ICAR-NEH Region Director G. Kadirvel said nearly 9.4 lakh farmers are expected to benefit under the PM-KISAN scheme and called for greater awareness of programmes such as PMFBY, PM-KUSUM and ‘Per Drop More Crop’.
The programme focused on creating awareness about PM-KISAN and other flagship agricultural initiatives while strengthening coordination among farmers, research institutions and the Agriculture department.
