A meeting to review the progress of various schemes of the Government of India in the Agriculture sector

A meeting to review the progress of various schemes of the Government of India in the Agriculture sector in states of the Northeastern Region (NER) held today

Key Highlights

1. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, stated that the Government of India will do everything in its capacity to ensure that the income of the farmers of the Northeast Region is doubled.
2. He said that the Prime Minister’s vision to minimise the dependence of farmers on purchased inputs through Zero budget Natural farming that reduces the cost of agriculture by relying on traditional field-based technologies which leads to improved soil health through natural farming should be fulfilled.
3. Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister said that better coordination should be achieved between the Agriculture Ministry, DoNER and State governments to ensure that the schemes of Agriculture Ministry can be saturated for the Northeastern Region.

A meeting to review the progress of various schemes of the Government of India in the Agriculture sector in states of the Northeastern Region (NER) was held today.

The meeting was co-chaired by Union Minister of Agriculture Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Shri G. Kishan Reddy. Minister of State for DoNER Shri B L Verma, Ministers for Agriculture of all the 8 North Eastern States attended the meeting.

Secretary, DONER, Secretary, Agriculture, Agriculture Secretaries from NER States alongwith senior officials of both the Ministries and their organizations were present in the meeting.

During the meeting brief presentations on the major initiatives/ programmes being run by the Ministries in the Agricultural Sector for NER States were made by the Agriculture Ministry and Secretaries of all the 8  States of NER. Key schemes/programs discussed during the meeting are as below:

• Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Regions (MOVCDNER)
• National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)
• Bamboo in North East Region
• Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture’ (MIDH)

Agriculture Ministers of the Northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura dissued the issues and challenges they were facing in detail.

Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) reviewed the implementation and progress of various schemes of Government of India in Agriculture sector implemented in North Eastern states virtually from Vignan Bhavan, New Delhi here today.

Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, addressed the North-Eastern region states and said that the region has a diverse climate with rich resources with great potential which can contribute to the nation and the world.  The Union Minister said “the Government of India will do everything in its capacity to ensure that the income of the farmers of the NER region is doubled”. He said that the Prime Minister’s vision to minimise the dependence of farmers on purchased inputs through Zero budget Natural farming that reduces the cost of agriculture by relying on traditional field-based technologies which leads to improved soil health through natural farming should be fulfilled. He was also appreciative of the lead that Sikkim and other Northeastern states had taken towards organic farming.

He said that the Prime Minister has focused on strengthening the North- Eastern Region with the coordinated efforts of the State and Center. The scope of Horticulture crops and medicinal crops is vast and has national and international markets. The Minister said that the Agriculture Ministry is working closely with the Commerce Ministry for exporting of Indian Products. The country’s food imports can be reduced with a high contribution from the North Eastern Region. The government is focusing on solving the challenges of logistics infrastructure. He said that the insurance coverage of the NER farmers should be increased. The region has a huge potential for oil palm production, for which the states in the region are given priority.

Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Tourism, and Culture while addressing the states suggested that better coordination should be achieved between the Agriculture Ministry, DoNER and State governments to ensure that the schemes of Agriculture Ministry are saturated for the Northeastern Region and the schemes can be customized to address the unique nature and the nuances encountered in the Northeast Region. Shri Tomar agreed to the same.

The Minister said that there is huge scope for employment generation in Agriculture and tourism industries. He said that the Prime Minister has underscored the vision to develop the North East as the hub of organic farming. Further, there is tremendous potential for development of horticulture as a major contributor to the region’s economic prosperity.  Be it Pineapple, Oranges, Kiwi, or spices such as turmeric, ginger, cardamom etc. North Eastern States are gaining popularity in the market which needs to be taken to global level now. He said that there is a need to focus on strengthening the agricultural and horticultural produce value chains. He said that post-harvest management also needs to be improved by involving FPOs, SHGs and the private sector. This is a crucial step in doubling our farmers’ income. There should be greater coordination with the Union Agriculture Ministry, line ministries and among all North Eastern States.

Officials from organizations such as North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFI), TRIFED that markets Tribal produce and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.(NAFED) also made presentations on the work their respective organizations are undertaking in the North east region. The officials from the Ministry of Food Processing were also present and made presentations on the various schemes available for the Northeast region.

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Also See:

• Union Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Shri G. Kishan Reddy review the progress of various schemes
• Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurates and lays foundation stones for 572 km of National Highway projects worth Rs.12981 crore in Uttar Pradesh