Ward-level farmers’sabhas on the cards

Ward-level farmers’ sabhas will be held in the State in the next couple of months in connection with the 30th anniversary of Krishi Bhavans and 110 years of the Department of Agriculture, Minister for Agriculture V.S. Sunil Kumar has said.

He was speaking after inaugurating Vision-2018, a one-day State-level workshop for agricultural officers, assistant directors, senior agricultural officers, and farm officers of the department here on Tuesday. This is a first-of-its-kind meeting, involving all sections of officials of the department.

The Minister said 10 lakh farmers in the State would take part in these ward-level sabhas.

The sabhas would enable farmers to know the schemes being implemented in association with the panchayats in a ward. Agricultural officers would convene the grama sabhas under the aegis of ward members.

Thiruvathira Njattuvelas would be held under each Krishi Bhavan from Aswathi Njattuvela to Thiruvathira Njattuvela along with the grama sabhas to make available quality seedling and other planting material and farm equipment to the farmers.

May 27, the day the Agriculture Department was first set up in 1908, would be observed as Krishi Bhavan Day every year, the Minister said. A State-level meet of agricultural officers would be held on this day.

Mr. Sunil Kumar said all agricultural officers would be trained in one year to exploit the potential of information technology to the maximum. This would be done with the help of a digital army, the first batch of which, comprising 25 persons, was ready.

Kera gramam project

Highlighting on the plans of the State to reorganise the department that spent ₹1,935 crore, including non-plan expenditure, last year, the Minister said the committee set up for the purpose had submitted its report.

He also called for convergence between the department and the three-tier panchayats. The Kera gramam project, being implemented in association with the Year of the Coconut observance, would focus on three-year plans for implementation of various activities in 79 panchayats where the project was to be implemented.