If we have to double the income of the farmers in Jharkhand, we have to bring in more and more educated people in the trade : Mahesh Poddar [ MP, Rajya Sabha ]

Ranchi, Jharkhand | October | 14, 2017 :: Rajya Sabha MP, Mahesh Poddar addresses a gathering during a programme on ‘How to increase farmers income’ at Fishery Training Institute, Dhurwa in Ranchi on Saturday. MLA Radha Krishna Kishore and other were also present on this occassion.

At a time when farm issue has caught the imagination of the country, involving farmers, social activists and politicians, experts, scientists and farmers from across Jharkhand today huddled together in the state capital to discuss how farming in state can be revitatlised to meet the challenges of the new age.

Scientists, who came from different institutions, said that spheres like organic food, dairy, fishery, tassar silk and forest products offer new vistas for employment and productivity in Jharkhand, and both the state as well as the farmers should take benefit of this scope.

“Jharkhand needs 28 lakh Metric Tonne of milk per day, and the production here is just 18 lakh Metric Tonne. Similarly, 1.40 lakh MT of fish in state is required as against the production of about one lakh Metric tone. We require 60 lakh metric tones of foodgrains per annum. But, we in state produce only 45 lakh metric tones. Thus, we have huge market in Jharkahnd itself,” said Radhakrishna Kishore, Chief Whip of ruling party in Jharkhand Assembly. Kishore was addressing a meet of farmers and scientists organized by Samajik Arthik Evam Sansadiya Adhyayan Kendra, Ranchi.

Apart from Kishore, the meet was attended by Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Poddar and Gumla MLA Shiv Shankar Oraon. Scientists like Shivendra Kumar, former director of Horticulture Centre, Plandu, D.K. Singh Drone, former professor of Birsa Agriculture University, B.S. Khanna, director, Medha Dairy, Dhirendra Kumar, former director of Jharcraft, and farmers from places like Pithoria, Namkum, Ratu and Bero took part.

Farm issues like production, market, farm loan, food security and farmers’ suicide has become the talking point all across the states in the country. Even in Jharkhand, agriculture is an issue hotly discussed. A few suicides have already taken place. In this situation, farm and farmers problems need a serious debate and discuss.

“If we have to double the income of the farmers in Jharkhand, we have to bring in more and more educated people in the trade, and infuse in them the spirit of entrepreneurship,” advised Poddar, requesting the state government to purchase paddy from farmers anywhere at Rs 1600 per quintal minimum support price (MSP). In normal situation, farmers have to sell their paddy at just Rs 1000-1100 per quintal to middlemen, who then sell it in the open market at a higher rate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept 2022 as the year to double the income of farmers in India.

Dhirendra Kumar said that cocoon production offers huge scope in Jharkhand and promises to employ large number of families. “The natural forest in the state provides scope for cocoon production. Our tassar quality is best in the world and we should cash on it,” Kumar said.

The experts also suggested that things like goat keeping and poultry are still under explored in state.

“Every year, Rs 500 crore goes out of state in lieu of milk alone to other states. How we keep this sum in Jharkhand itself is a challenge as well as an opportunity,” Khanna, who is the managing director of Medha Dairy, the state-owned dairy farm, said.

Farmers pointed out their situations and said that they face problems of market, middlemen as well as water