Karnal, Sept. 24 -- The technology that reduces a farmer's input costs, lowers the need for manual labour and increases returns from crops is the real innovation for farmers, said Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday while addressing the closing session of the fifth 'Innovative Farmers' Meet' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Ladwa, Kurukshetra. The CM said that the true success of any technology should be reflected in the farmer's account book and technology is useful for farmers only when it is affordable, easy to use and can also be repaired locally in or around villages. He said the distinctive feature of the meet was that discussions were not confined to big cities or conference halls, but were being taken directly to farmers. The CM said that agriculture today faces serious challenges such as weather uncertainties, increasing water scarcity and deteriorating soil health. "Therefore, there is a need to move towards farming practices that can withstand changing conditions while increasing farmers' income. Paddy and wheat cultivation has particular significance in the region. Measures such as direct seeding of rice, crop-specific micro-irrigation and land levelling can prove useful," he said, urging farmers to get their soil tested and use fertilisers according to the requirements of their land. The CM said that small farmers cannot afford to purchase every expensive machine individually. Therefore, farmer groups, cooperative societies and centres providing machinery on rent have an important role to play and the benefits of one machine should reach multiple farms. He said village youth should be trained to operate and repair farm machinery and provide agriculture-related services and this would help reduce farmers' costs while also creating new employment opportunities in villages. Saini on Wednesday congratulated Smriti Irani and Bhola Singh for being appointed by the BJP as the party's state in-charge and co-incharge. "Heartfelt congratulations to BJP national general secretary Smriti Irani on being appointed as the in-charge of Haryana, and to national secretary Bhola Singh on being appointed as the co-in-charge," Saini said in a post on X. "I am fully confident that under their guidance, the organisation in Haryana will become even stronger, and the workers will gain new energy and direction," Saini said. Haryana BJP president Archana Gupta also congratulated Irani and Singh....