Raipur. Farmers have an important contribution in building a developed India. Along with modernizing agriculture, increasing the income of farmers is the priority of the Sai government. Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai said this while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the National Agriculture Fair and Exhibition organized at the Indira Gandhi Agricultural University campus in the capital today. He called upon the farmers to join the production of fisheries, animal husbandry and horticultural crops along with paddy cultivation to increase their income. On this occasion, CM Sai also gave a check of grant amount to the young entrepreneurs.
The Chief Minister said that as soon as our government was formed in Chhattisgarh, on the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, we transferred the amount of Rs 3716 crore as bonus for paddy to 13 lakh farmers. As per our promise, we paid the price of Rs 3100 per quintal of paddy and purchased 21 quintals of paddy per acre. Last year, 145 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was purchased. About Rs 49 thousand crore has been transferred to the farmers’ accounts through paddy purchase at the support price and the procurement price declared by the state government and the bonus due for two years. He said that in view of the good crop in the current Kharif season, the best possible arrangements will be made in the state for purchasing paddy at the support price. This year, paddy purchase work will start from November 14. This year too, record paddy purchase is expected.
Chief Minister Sai said that today an agricultural fair and exhibition of advanced agricultural equipment is being organized to involve the youth in agriculture and move it towards modern farming. Indira Gandhi Agricultural University has also made an important contribution in the development of new technologies in the agricultural sector and making it available to the farmers. We are continuously working to ensure that more and more youth get the facility of studying agriculture and the agriculture of the state can improve.
