The recommendation of the Governor and the Chief Minister of taking initiative towards rapid growth of agri-productivity, viz. farm, dairy and poultry products is certainly a move in the right direction. The population of the State has increased manifold and at a fast rate now reaching a crore plus. Since population control agenda is nowhere in sight in the State, the population explosion seems to be a menacing reality in near future. At the same time, ours is a deficit State as we are not self-sufficient in meeting food requirements of this vast population. Along with this phenomenon, we find that the State is also faced with a trend for urbanization. Rural population is steadily migrating to urban areas which necessitates developing new residential townships and colonies mostly unplanned and bereft of sanitary requirements. Thus there is great pressure on land, and, consequently, agricultural land is rapidly getting converted into residential plots. Thus the migration of people, squeezing of agrarian land area, expansion of urban settlements and habitats are the factors that bring pressure on demand for farm, dairy, poultry and fisheries products.
We have two agricultural universities in the State. These are provided with infrastructure essentially meant to take care of academic part of agricultural education. Naturally, the Government and the society would like that admissions to various courses in these prestigious institutions are maximal. This is so because we need expert and skilled manpower to disseminate scientific knowledge among the farmers and peasants who, otherwise, are not familiar with modern technique of farming. But the fact is that along with their academic agenda, the two universities must pay special attention to research programmes also and in all branches of agricultural activity. The main objective of research should be of increasing agricultural production, improving the quality of farm products, protecting products from pests and finally its marketing.
Very rightly the Governor has suggested a 5-year area and sector specific Action Plan with the objective of rapid growth of agriculture, dairy, poultry, vegetable, pasture and fodder development, Animal and Sheep Husbandry, Fisheries and other allied sectors possessing very high potential for generating employment and wealth. This is not a dream that cannot be realized. But of course, as the Governor and the Chief Minister have suggested, additional and relevant infrastructure will be needed to conduct scientific researches. Obviously this will call for closer coordination among both the Farm Universities of the State and extension agencies of the Government for enhancing agri-productivity on sustainable basis.
It is also advisable that our researchers at the two universities have adequate knowledge of the progress made by developed countries in various areas of farm productivity. In western countries and the US, for example, incredible researches have been made in all areas and the impact of these researches is clearly discernible on the ground. In terms of quantity and quality, a drastic change has appeared and that is why western countries have been able to meet their agricultural product requirements and export these to the buyers all around the world. Agriculture, as is now known, is a very vast field and promises enormous scope for research and development. Its potential needs to be exploited through proper handling. A 5-Year Plan envisaged by the Governor and the CM would be a good base to begin the work and carry it through. But it will be essential for the universities as well as the relevant agencies in the Government to monitor the progress made in researches. The other and equally important aspect of this activity is of bringing awareness as well as modern agrarian technology to the doorsteps of our farmers and peasants. Gradual transition from old and less rewarding agricultural activities to modern and more productive output has to be the end-result of all efforts from teaching to research to application in the field of agricultural studies.
Horticulture and Forestry are other two allied areas that must also be taken up for further research and development. The trend at present is to clear more forest areas of trees and vegetation and make the land available either for farming or for habitation. This is a dangerous trend and depletion of our forest cover could become the cause of eco-disaster. We need to discourage the trend and not only maintain our forest cover but try to expand it as much as is possible. In particular the forest cover closer to towns and cities has great urgency for protection because they are the breathers for the densely populated habitats.
A responsibility of bringing about revolutionary change in our agri-productivity effort has been assigned to the two universities by our policy planners. We are hopeful that this responsibility will be efficiently discharged by the concerned. Since the Head of the State and the Government, who are also respectively the Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor of the two Farm Universities, have promised to provide additional infrastructure needed for execution of the proposed 5-Year Action Plan, the university authorities must prepare a visionary plan by breaking away from the stereotypes. Let modernity be the catchword for agrarian culture in our State from the universities to the farms to the homes and habitats of our farmers.
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