BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday said the state government was focusing on connecting youth with advanced farming, increasing farmers’ income and promoting exports of agricultural produce.
Addressing the ‘Krishi Navachar Samvad’ organised by the Madhya Pradesh Youth Commission at Ravindra Bhavan, Yadav said farming was changing with the times and the government was committed to promoting new technologies and crops.
He urged young people to remain connected to their roots and pursue agriculture as a career. “Youth should study agriculture and create new avenues for their future. Farmers should establish warehouses and polyhouses,” he said.
Yadav said the state government had signed an MoU with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to increase milk production and aimed to make Madhya Pradesh a leading milk-producing state. Efforts had already resulted in farmers receiving Rs 8-10 more per litre for milk, he said.
A plan to produce one lakh Gir breed calves annually would soon be implemented to boost milk production. The government has also launched the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Kamdhenu Yojana to provide improved breeds to livestock owners.
Yadav said the irrigation area in Madhya Pradesh was expanding rapidly and the government had set a target of increasing it to 100 lakh hectares over the next five years. The aim was to ensure irrigation water for every field and clean drinking water for every village.
He encouraged youth to adopt natural and organic farming, multiple cropping, livestock rearing, fisheries, goat farming and poultry to diversify their income. “Our goal is to make farming a profitable business,” he said.
Yadav highlighted the state’s efforts to ensure remunerative prices for farmers, including annual bonuses on wheat procured at MSP. Madhya Pradesh, he said, had emerged as the country’s largest wheat procurement state, while soybean farmers had benefited from the Bhavantar scheme.
During the programme, students, farmers, agricultural entrepreneurs and influencers discussed innovations involving horticulture, pearl and mushroom farming, avocado cultivation, Sona Moti wheat, polyhouses, beekeeping and agriculture technology applications.
Yadav said the government would organise agricultural innovation dialogues at divisional and district levels to encourage young people to adopt modern farming practices.
Cooperation Minister Vishwas Kailash Sarang said agriculture was the foundation of a developed India and stressed the need to connect youth with farming and agriculture-based entrepreneurship.
The programme was attended by agriculture students, faculty members, scientists, startup representatives, young sarpanches, researchers and agriculture influencers.