THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi/New Delhi, January 21: Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda on Sunday said that we not only have to work on increasing production, but also focus it on entrepreneurship development in rural areas and contribution to the country’s economy.
“The aim is to increase production with the aim of strengthening the rural economy and bringing all our farmers out of the poverty line,” he said.
Processing for lac and Tasar
He said this while addressing online the inaugural session of the two-day brainstorming session on processing for lac and Tasar at the National Institute of Secondary Agriculture (NISA), Ranchi (Jharkhand) as the chief guest.
Entrepreneurship models
Munda said that if they think about tribal areas, instead of making an action plan only considering them poor and weak, there is a need to brainstorm on how entrepreneurship models can be developed there. “The production should be in such a way that it can contribute to the development of the individual as well as the country. The action plan should be prepared keeping in mind the contribution to the economy, improvement in the way of life as well as maintaining the rural existence, because urbanization can be for providing benefits, but not for filling the stomach. Only rural life can give this,” he pointed out.
“This two-day discussion should conclude that where we are today and where we should be in the future. Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about 5 trillion economy or the third largest economy of the world, so we have to think in that direction also,” he said.
The minister said that this goal can be achieved only by improving the living standards of the people and their contribution to the economy.
National Institute of Secondary Agriculture
Munda said that the National Institute of Secondary Agriculture (earlier Indian Institute of Natural Resins and Gums) has completed 100 years.
“The Institute has made significant contribution to lac cultivation and has developed technologies for mechanized primary processing, there is a need to work on how production can be systematically increased. It is necessary to make efforts to ensure temporary income of primary producers and villagers, because if we do not put efforts to strengthen the economy, it will remain only consuming. This brainstorming should strengthen the farmers,” he maintained.
“Through discussion, a roadmap should be prepared keeping the topic wise things in mind. The idea is to consider how the area can be developed as a hub; what kind of institutions can be started in this area for value addition with the aim of raw material. What is the value addition happening in lac, what is the export potential in Tasar, what are the possibilities of development in the vicinity, there should be a direction to benefit the people of the area in the form of production support, qualitative improvement and cash crops,” he said.
In this programme, Director of the Institute, Dr Abhijit Kar, Director of CTR&TI, Dr R. Chaudhary, stakeholders including farmers, entrepreneurs and forest department officials participated.
