SHILLONG, JAN 29: Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma asserted that the biggest “in thing: will always be agriculture and as professionals it is duty bound for the state agriculture department to look at access to emerging revolution in agricultural technology for the benefit of the people and future generations.
Sangma said this while inaugurating the 3rd conference of the Meghalaya Agricultural Technical Government Employees’ Service Association (MATGESA) at the Integrated Agriculture Training Centre in Upper Shillong on Thursday.
The two-day conference was based on the theme “Government-MATGESA-Farmers: Bridging Governance” and would be taking up topics such as Human Resource Development, Organic Farming & Sustainable Agriculture and Agriculture Marketing & Value Chain with emphasis on high value crops and post harvest management.
Stating that agriculture is one sector which is connected to the largest number of people as more than 70 percent of the population in the state are agrarian, Sangma said, “If we cannot take care of close to 80 percent of our population, then our economics is wrong and our state will continue to suffer” and called for comprehensive solutions to the problems of the farmers.
When the government comes up with certain programmes to empower the poor, we need to ensure that they come out of poverty and do not slip back by giving hand holding support and that is how the sustainability of economy can be achieved, Sangma said.
Sangma appealed to all the members of MATGESA as professionals to continue to search for answers to overcome the challenges of the farmers, look at many initiatives of the government in the sector and see how they can add on innovations in their approach to delivery. Stating how bamboo can change the economy of a region, he said, “If the economy of Maharashtra, Gujarat and most of North Indian states can be transformed by sugarcane, we can also transform our rural economy through certain crops that are indigenous” and added that there is a need for documentation of certain species of crops that can generate income for the farmers.
Sangma also said that just cultivation of paddy would not be remunerative but should be added on with value addition through cottage industries and urged the officials of the department to make a proposal to send a delegation to Bangladesh to study and compare with what they do and what can be replicated in the state.
He also urged upon the association to organize some kind of summit with the government and reach out to the professionals in agriculture and allied sectors who are not government employees to build entrepreneurship and also expressed hope that the two-day conference would be productive and beneficial to the people of the state.
Earlier, Agriculture director D. Syiemiong in her brief address reminded the members of the association that they were primarily government employees and should work in tandem with the government policies, while the MATGESA president Tipsuk Pyrbot gave the welcome address and also presented their memorandum to the chief minister.
MATGESA was formed in October, 1980 with the objective to strive for the welfare of the farmers in general and agricultural officers of the state in particular.
The inaugural function was also attended by the Agriculture joint secretary MN Nampui, officials from Agriculture and Horticulture departments and members of the association from both Khasi-Jaintia and Garo hills regions.- By Our Reporter
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