Need for documenting farmers’ success stories: Rupala 

Nauni, December 18, 2021: The Progressive Agri Leadership Summit 2021 was held today at the Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni. Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying was the Chief Guest on the occasion. The event was organized by the Krishi Udyami Krishak Vikas Chamber in association with Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry(UHF), Nauni and Sikkim State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest Parshottam Rupala praised the Himachal Government for its natural farming initiatives and also appreciated the efforts of Sikkim in the promotion of organic farming. He said that India could become a major player in the export of natural and organic produce to foreign countries where the demand for such products was increasing. The Union Minister suggested that there was a need for documentation of success stories of farmers along with novel agri-innovations so that these could be shared with the government for future policy formulation. Rupala also stressed on the need for popularizing indigenous livestock and highlighted the advantages of mobile vans for livestock vaccination and quick redressal of their problems.   

Addressing the gathering, Virender Kanwar, Agriculture Minister of Himachal Pradesh said that the state was committed to realizing the goal of doubling farmers’ income. He informed the gathering that over 1.53 lakh farmers in the state were practicing natural farming. Kanwar exhorted the need for reducing the cost of cultivation and suggested natural farming as a solution to achieve this. He added that the state government was making efforts to promote saffron and asafoetida cultivation, freshwater fish farming and said that the efforts were being made to make Himachal self-reliant in cinnamon cultivation. Kanwar said that the state was making efforts to strengthen and promote small and marginal farmer entrepreneurs and called for making policies for hill farmers keeping in mind the different conditions faced by them.

In his address, JP Dalal, Haryana Agriculture Minister talked about the crop insurance and compensation scheme of his government. He informed the gathering that a separate pond authority had been established in the state for the proper utilization of water. He highlighted the need for livestock management and crop diversification through horticulture and the promotion of prawn farming in Haryana. He informed that the mandi system in the state has been strengthened in the state and shared the dream of establishing the biggest mandi in Haryana. Farmer leader and former agriculture minister of Haryana OP Dhankher was the keynote speaker during the final session. 

Earlier in the day, a session on Peri-Urban Agriculture- Realizing Potential for Resilient and Enterprising Ecosystem was held in which Vice-Chancellors - Dr. Parvinder Kaushal from UHF Nauni; Dr. BR Kamboj HAU Hisar; Dr.GC Sharma, SKUAST, Jammu along with representatives from the agri-industry, policymakers discussed the future of peri-urban agriculture. Experts were of the view that kitchen and terrace gardening incorporating hydroponics along with cut-flower, fruit and vegetable production had a huge potential for income generation. The creation of learning centers in small cities was also suggested in the session. In the second technical session, farmers and FPOs shared their success stories. The livestock exhibition featuring buffaloes was a major attraction during the event.

A total number of 42 awards were distributed at the summit under different categories- States, Educational Organization, Corporate: Agriculture & Allied Sectors, Progressive Farmer/ Village, Farmer Producer Organization, Agri Journalism Award (Awareness & Solution-Oriented), Government Organization/ PSU, Excellence in Academic and Krishi Bhaivshay Ratan Puruskar Award. 

Himachal bagged the awards for Soil Health and Best Initiative in Agriculture Marketing and Practices while Haryana bagged the awards for Risk Management and Initiative in Brand Development. Jammu and Kashmir was awarded for Saffron Promotion and Production while Punjab was awarded for Crop residue management. Uttar Pradesh bagged the award for the Best initiative in Animal Health while Uttarakhand took home the award for organic farming.