Sopan Step

Dehradun, 23 July

“There is a need to link tradition and technology to save agriculture,” says CM

A national-level symposium on ‘Making agriculture profitable: Alternatives and solutions’ (Munafe ke kheti: Vikalp or Upay), organized by Sopan Step, a bilingual development magazine being brought out by India Foundation for Rural Development Studies (Infords), was held at Dehradun on 23 July.  Hon’ble Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri Harish Rawat inaugurated the function, in which Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture , Shri Harak Singh Rawat, Director (Marketing) IFFCO Shri A Roy, Managing Trustee and senior journalist Shri K A Badarinath, senior journalist Shri Harvir Singh Panwar, Expert on Bio economy and agriculture value chain Shri  Vijay Sardana and Shri Vijay Uppal  also participated.

Delivering the key note address, Chief Minister Shri Harish Rawat said despite technological intervention, agriculture has not become a profitable proposition. “Banks have been giving loans at lower rates of 4 to 7%. They may be able to take the loan once. After that they become debt-ridden. The problem is that we have failed to empower farmers,” said Rawat.

The chief minister said technology and tradition should be linked. There is a need to promote traditional agriculture in hilly areas, which will not only protect the ecology but provide income for the farmers. He also talked about encouraging off-seasonal fruits and vegetables.