Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel on Monday said that the new comprehensive Agricultural Business Policy-2016 envisions not doubling of agricultural income in the state, but aims to increase it four times that of current levels. While launching the 12th edition of the state-wide Krishi Mahotsav from Anand and releasing the new Krishi Business Policy-2016, the CM attributed the almost threefold rise in the yields of groundnut, bajri, wheat, banana and rai from 900 to 2,700 kg/ha in the state due to efforts taken during the Krishi Mahotsav.
The government plans to give one lakh new electricity connections during Krishi Mahotsav.
Speaking about the new agri-business policy, Patel said the new policy will throw open the doors of global trade to farmers and youth of the state via modern farming, food-processing and establishing value-chains from farm to global commodities markets. Even as the state's farmers are linked to extension centres of agricultural universities for latest lab-2-farm inputs, she said that focus would be on incentives to increase yield, increase storage capacity, value-addition and maintaining quality, and prudent land use.
Patel raised the slogan of 'Samriddh Kisan - Sukhi Kisan', meaning 'Prosperous Farmer; Happy Farmer'. She said the present government is pro-farmer and the focus is on organic farming, setting up a new organic farming university to impart related education, training and research. Other areas of concern are preventing adulteration in fertilizers and milk, providing land at concessional rates to APMC and Milk Huts, improving cattle breed and producing neem-coated fertilizer.
At Anand, the CM's programmes also included distributing the Rs1.87-lakh Sardar Patel Agriculture Research district-level award to five farmers, Rs.2.25 lakh to seven progressive farmers of Kheda and Anand districts, the Rs4.40-lakh agriculture department awards to five farmers, Rs1.90-lakh under Mission Mangalam, Rs50,000 to Sakhi Mandalis, citation to the secretary of the world's first solar-powered co-operative society, Pravinbhai Parmar.
The government plans to give one lakh new electricity connections during Krishi Mahotsav.
Speaking about the new agri-business policy, Patel said the new policy will throw open the doors of global trade to farmers and youth of the state via modern farming, food-processing and establishing value-chains from farm to global commodities markets. Even as the state's farmers are linked to extension centres of agricultural universities for latest lab-2-farm inputs, she said that focus would be on incentives to increase yield, increase storage capacity, value-addition and maintaining quality, and prudent land use.
Patel raised the slogan of 'Samriddh Kisan - Sukhi Kisan', meaning 'Prosperous Farmer; Happy Farmer'. She said the present government is pro-farmer and the focus is on organic farming, setting up a new organic farming university to impart related education, training and research. Other areas of concern are preventing adulteration in fertilizers and milk, providing land at concessional rates to APMC and Milk Huts, improving cattle breed and producing neem-coated fertilizer.
At Anand, the CM's programmes also included distributing the Rs1.87-lakh Sardar Patel Agriculture Research district-level award to five farmers, Rs.2.25 lakh to seven progressive farmers of Kheda and Anand districts, the Rs4.40-lakh agriculture department awards to five farmers, Rs1.90-lakh under Mission Mangalam, Rs50,000 to Sakhi Mandalis, citation to the secretary of the world's first solar-powered co-operative society, Pravinbhai Parmar.