The 59th foundation day event of Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur was organized online today. The Chief Guest, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said on the occasion that if Madhya Pradesh has emerged among the leading states in the field of agriculture today, the role of Agricultural University, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and Indian Council of Agricultural Research is on its solid foundation .
Shri Tomar said that Jabalpur Agricultural University is known throughout the country as an institute of excellence and this is a matter of pride for the people of the state working in the agricultural sector. Since its inception in 1964, this university has contributed significantly to the development and modernization of the agricultural sector in the state.
Madhya Pradesh has repeatedly received the prestigious Krishi Karman award in the field of agriculture, for which the state deserves praise. Greeting everyone associated with the university on its foundation day, Shri Tomar said that the inauguration of the Girls Hostel on the occasion is a new milestone in its illustrious history.
Describing the importance of Indian agriculture, Shri Tomar said that even during the Covid crisis when all other sectors came to a standstill all over the world, even then all the agricultural activities including sowing and harvesting were done in our fields and with extraordinary yield, the government set up more shopping centers and traffic has also increased, all while strictly adhering to the two yard distance standard of the Covid protocol.
Later, with the sowing of additional annuals, a record production was achieved. The GDP rate of the agricultural sector remained very positive even in an adverse situation, for which our farmers and agricultural scientists deserve to be congratulated. Shri Tomar said that the use of mechanization in agriculture should increase and more and more farmers should join the newly established 10,000 FPOs for which the Central Government is spending Rs 6,865 crore.
Small farmers can take advantage of mechanization, use technology, shift towards profitable crops and use government facilities including processing, then they will definitely get better returns for their produce. Shri Tomar said that in the age of climate change, our challenge has multiplied. Farmers have to rely on nature despite having sufficient resources at their disposal. In this regard, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has provided a shield to the farmers in the form of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
Claims worth Rs. 1.22 lakh crore has been paid against crop losses to farmers in the last 6 years. Considering the changing climate, research should be done on what direction farmers should take, what processes and crops are climate tolerant and also sustain our production and productivity. According to him, education plays an important role in agriculture. An attempt was made to incorporate agricultural education into the new National Education Policy. Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Shri Kamal Patel and Deputy Director General (Seeds), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Dr. D.K. Yadav were the special guests at the function. The fair was chaired by Dr. Pradeep Kumar Bisen, Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University.
