West Bengal Food Processing Industries and Horticulture minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah today said that organisations like industry chambers should help small and medium farmers to opt for modern and scentific way of farming in the land-critical state.
The concept of big farmers is missing in Bengal and the state has small and medium farmers only, he said in his keynote address on 'Prospects of Horticulture in Modern Era' at Bengal National Chamber of Commerce & Industry here.
West Bengal does not have enough farm land considering the large number of farmers and the land holdings are small compared to north India. "Our farmers are not introduced to the latest technology in farming. If we have to meet the global standards, the Chambers must act as go-between between agri-farmers and scientists who are advocating technologies like organic farming."
The state should go for participatory farming model in which registered farmer bodies consisting of farmers in a particular area, food processing members of the business chambers and government will be the stake holders.
"The government will be the middle man while the farmer bodies of an area will sell the produce to food processing companies who will treat and process the same before packaging. This way we can export certain fruits like guava which has huge market potential, even more than apple or orange", he said.
"Our products should meet the global benchmark which cannot be solely ensured by a farmer individually. Hence such an arrangement would work for them," he added.
Mollah said mango species, which are grown in different parts of the state, can also be processed and exported in the same way. To make it work the participatory model involving a registered body of farmers in a certain locality, food processing farms and the chambers should act in cohesion.
To impart new technology to farmers, agri-scientists should visit and explain the new farming techniques to them at the fields in real life situations instead of merely attending brainstorming sessions in seminar halls, he said.
Stating that farmers seldom get remunerative price for their products, Mollah said "When there is price hike in their (farmers) produce the benefit is never passed on to the actual grower. This is because farmers don't have any true organisation which will voice their issues on different subjects. If the participatory model is introduced, the lot of farmers will improve." he said.
BNCCI President Bani Roychowdhury said horticulture in Bengal has great scope.
"The state is one of the largest producers of agri-horticultural crops and to seize this opportunity there is an imperative need to conform to the international quality standard and total quality management," Roychowdhury added.
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