Mega food park to be set up in Rajasthan, states yoga guru Baba Ramdev
A mega food park would be set up in the state of Rajasthan, which is working aggressively towards making the state agriculturally strong. This was stated by yoga guru Baba Ramdev at the Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet 2016 (GRAM 2016) in Jaipur. The event was jointly organised by the government of the state and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Ramdev stated that he and Patanjali would support Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje in her endeavours. He added that Patanjali was entering the dairy industry and would be keen to make the state a part of its journey. He also stated that given an opportunity, Patanjali was ready to work with the state government in all its agricultural produce, including aloe vera, isabgol, bajra and amla.
At the inaugural session of the meet, Raje stated that Rajasthan was committed to transforming its agricultural landscape by actively promoting global best practices. “With surplus production of food grains, milk and pulses, the state is geared up to adopt multiple innovations such as digital soil mapping, use of drones for effective input management, employing innovative protected cultivation methods, zero budget natural farming and technology-enabled traceability systems,” she added.
“The end objective of these interventions in farming will be increasing efficiency, reducing costs and ensuring sustainability,” Raje stated, adding that the primary objective of GRAM was to ensure economic empowerment of the people through accelerated yet focused growth in agriculture and to double farmers’ incomes.
The state conceived GRAM 2016 as an agri technology and business event that provided a platform to transform and catalyse sustainability and economic viability of farming. Raje said that Rajasthan had evolved as a strong investment-friendly state, adding that the government was constantly working towards ensuring that these investments benefited all stakeholders.
“Within just one year of holding the Resurgent Rajasthan Summit 2015, projects valued at almost Rs 5,000 crore have already been implemented and projects worth Rs 54,000 crore and Rs 49,000 crore are under construction and under various stages of clearance, respectively,” she added.
“Excluding the solar energy projects, the total likely investment to be grounded is Rs 1.08 lakh crore or 74 % of the investment commitment. This would be one of the fastest and highest conversion rates for any State in the country,” Raje said.
Rajasthan governor Kalyan Singh was the chief guest. He said, “For a smart nation, it is imperative to develop not only smart cities, but also smart villages. “Development of roads, irrigation, education, electricity, health, security, employment and self-reliance are the eight tenets which should be focused on to develop a smart village,” he added.
Singh stated that the farmers, industry leaders, scientists and the government will have to join hands to pave the way for doubling the farmers’ incomes by 2022. He also laid emphasis on increasing per acre products and productivity.
Parshottam Rupala, minister of state, agriculture, farmers’ welfare and Panchayati Raj, government of India, said, “Rajasthan is ahead of many other Indian states in the field of agriculture and is a leader in various agricultural products.” He added that the state government had successfully implemented all the Central schemes and taken many decisions favourable for the welfare of the farmers.
Prabhu Lal Saini, Rajasthan’s agriculture and animal husbandry minister, said that GRAM brought together all stakeholders, including farmers, academicians, technologists, agri business companies and policy makers, to accelerate the development of sustainable agriculture and allied activities through innovative methods and best practices.
Daniel Carmon, Israel’s ambassador to India, said that Rajasthan was a perfect example of Indo-Israel cooperation. He added, “Israel is a natural partner to the state. We are with the government of Rajasthan in all their efforts for the welfare of the farmers.” Carmon stated that Israeli president Reuven Rivlin will also visit India next week with two major agendas of discussion, agriculture and water.
In his presentation, O P Meena, chief secretary, Rajasthan, highlighted the investment prowess and potential in the state’s agriculture sector. Anil Jain, managing director, Jain Irrigation, said that Rajasthan wasn’t going to be just a green revolution, but an evergreen one.
Arun Nanda, chairman, Mahindra Lifesciences, said, “Rajasthan has emerged as a leader in various agri categories despite many challenges.” Rajasthan Knowledge Papers on Agriculture were also released on the occasion. The vote of thanks was proposed by Harshvardhan Neotia, national president, FICCI.
SOURCE: DAIRY NEWS OF INDIA