Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on August 26 sent a delegation of 26 farmers for a four-day trip, accompanied by state government officials, to Israel for training in technologically advanced farming techniques, to overcome the challenges posed by lack of irrigation facilities and generate better produce.
State government officials accompanying the 26 farmers include Agriculture Director Ramesh Gholop, Hazaribagh Deputy Commissioner Ravi Shankar Shukla, Garwha Deputy Commissioner Neha Arora, Horticulture Director Vijay Singh and Joint Director (Agriculture) Dr. Subhas Singh.
Addressing the farmers before their departure, CM Das asked them to learn the new farming techniques minutely and then use those methods and techniques in their own farming.
Chief Minister Das said, “At present, the farmers here are facing challenges of lack of irrigation facilities and scarcity of land for agriculture. They are only farming one crop a year. However, Israel has overcome similar problems by using technologically advanced methods of farming. If our farmers learn those techniques, it will be beneficial for them and even they can overcome the present challenges.”
CM Das added that state is now lagging behind in grain production but the day is not far when it would not only become self-sufficient in producing grains but also would export grains to other states.
Agriculture Secretary Puja Singhal said that during their trip, the farmers would visit dairy farms, production units of fruits and vegetables and learn about the functioning of drip irrigation.
CM Das further said that on their return, the farmers would be appointed as master trainers and entrusted with the responsibility of imparting knowledge of hi-tech farming techniques to other farmers in various parts of the state.
