Patna,(BiharTimes): Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Sunday that the then Planning Commission had approved Rs 1,000 crore in 2009 for a central agriculture university at Pusa, but the state government did not take up the matter with the Union agriculture ministry.

Incidentally, his own party, the BJP, had been sharing power with the Janata Dal (United) between 2009 and 2013.

He said now the Centre would increase the proposed investment for it and the second central university of India would come up at Pusa in Samastipur.

Addressing a meeting of agriculture scientists organized by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) he said the Centre plans to open a college of fisheries at Madhubani, a college of horticulture and forestry at Motihari and a college of agriculture at Chhapra or Siwan.

However, the minister said Bihar played a significant role in the success of the Second Green Revolution and helped achieve the target of food production for implementation of Food Security Act.

According to him there are 70 agriculture universities in the country, but only one central agriculture university at Imphal in Manipur.

He said the eastern region of India produces 50% of the rice, 45% of vegetables and 35% fish of the country. The region produced 15% more milk last year. Through improvement in seeds, production of pulses and oil can be increased by 10% every year.

Radha Mohan Singh said under the integrated fish production programme, the yield has increased to three tonnes per hectare against one tonne earlier.