“Bihar not facing problem of production, but of procurement”

Patna,(BiharTimes): Stating that the second Green Revolution would start from Bihar, which might soon become Punjab, Dr Ashok Gulati, chairman, Commission for Agriculture Cost & Price said the problem with the state is not of production but of procurement.

Speaking at the 3rd Crop Summit held here on Tuesday he raised the issue of unavailability of proper support value to farmers.

According to Dr Gulati the capacity of rice mills of Bihar is very low and essentially agrarian north Bihar, in particular, faces power shortage. But he added that sugar industry can provide an alternative solution and the state government should explore this possibility.

As Bihar is facing shortage of cold storages and marketing strategy it is facing a huge problem of storing its rising output.

The Deputy Director General, Indian Council of Agriculture Research and Summit Chairman, Dr Swapan Kumar Datta, said that now every crop is competing with each other. So, the government should decide the minimum support price for a good profit. He said that every state has its own issue and their joint efforts can counter many of them.

Vivek Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Bihar, highlighted the significant growth in agriculture and horticulture sector made by the state.

He said that Bihar had received Krishi Karma Award for its fast growth, hard working farmers and unique lead crops. To support farmers, the government had taken initiatives of granting diesel worth Rs 784 crore to farmers.

Singh also raised the issues of ware-housing, cold storage, lack of good quality seeds etc. In his welcome address, Dr Rajeev Singh, Director General, ICC discussed some major critical issues affecting the agriculture like urbanization, climate change and Crisis Management.