Chandigarh, Sept. 23 -- Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that 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. The true success of any technology should be reflected in the farmer's account book.
He said that technology is useful for farmers only when it is affordable, easy to use and can also be repaired locally in or around villages.
The Chief Minister was addressing the closing session of the fifth 'Innovative Farmers' Meet' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Ladwa, Kurukshetra on Wednesday. On the occasion, he inaugurated and visited an exhibition of agricultural machinery and interacted with progressive farmers. He said the distinctive feature of the Innovative Farmers Meet was that discussions were not confined to big cities or conference halls, but were being taken directly to farmers.
The Chief Minister 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. He said 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.
Meanwhile, CM Saini called upon industrialists of Punjab and Haryana to strengthen cooperation in the fields of skills, technology and trade. He said that joint efforts by both states can transform the region into a strong hub of manufacturing, innovation and employment.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.