Agri Science Cong begins; 400 scientists in attendance

Varanasi: A three-day Uttar Pradesh Agricultural Science Congress on ‘enhancing farmers income and water conservation: opportunities and challenges’ began at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Saturday.
Being attended by 400 agricultural scientists and students, the event is organized under the joint auspices of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences and UP Agricultural Research Council.
Addressing the inaugural function, state agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi spoke about different government-run schemes for farmers. He said that a remarkable growth was seen in the production of wheat, rice and oil seeds in the state. He said the government is giving 50% grant on the purchase of agricultural equipment and providing required funds to agricultural universities working in the field of animal husbandry.
Agricultural scientist Dr Mangala Rai said although scientists and farmers greatly contributed to make the country self-dependent in foodgrain production but only 0.53% of GDP is spent on agriculture education, which is more than 0.8% after Independence.
He suggested for an overall change in agricultural policy and a special emphasis on natural resources.