India lives in villages and agriculture is the mainstay of our economy. It is the oldest and the most fundamental economic activity pursued by organized society. India has been a rich and prosperous country in the past because her population was less and she had vast fertile lands at her disposal with climate that helps grow two or even three crops per year. As population increased and villages and cities expanded and land yielding agricultural products necessary for human survival began to be converted into habitats, factories, roads, railways and other structures, agricultural land began to shrink, agricultural production began to shrink and great pressure came on farmers.
Western and developed countries reacted were also faced with the problem of urbanization. However, they simultaneously found that while rural development was an answer to mad urbanization, yet research in agriculture and revolution in this trade based on science and technology was in no way less important. As a result intensive research in the science of agriculture was conducted and incredibly important results were obtained. Agricultural and horticultural research institutes mushroomed all over Europe and the USA. What we see today in those parts of the world is that agricultural production has increased manifold owing to intensive cultivation, the quality of product has improved by using hybrid technology, and green hose concept has made it possible to grow vegetables and crops by artificially creating conducive climatic conditions and treatment of plants. These have been great achievements of advanced scientific and technological input in the area of agricultural production.
After independence our county did take into account the necessity of modernizing our entire agricultural system. Our State was also seized of the imperative of modernizing our agricultural pattern. Inception of two Agricultural Universities in the State, one in Srinagar and the other in Jammu, was the first step in the direction of bringing about conspicuous change in agricultural industry.
However, despite some progress made in regard to modernization of agriculture, the main objective of qualitative increase in agrarian production has still eluded us. There are many bottlenecks that prevent rapid transformation of agricultural methodology. Half hearted decisions are taken because nobody is prepared to show talent for taking the initiative and doing some pioneering activity. We have a number of successful stories in agrarian pursuits but we have also some failed stories as well. Basmati is a specific kind of rice produced in farms where soil has specific properties to help growth of basmati rice plant. It is aromatic but with the passage of time it has begun to lose aroma which means big damage to its commercial value. In Jammu region, RS Pura and some of the villages around Suchetgarh are traditionally known as the basmati rice producing centres. Basmati has demand all over the world because of long grain and aroma and acceptance with the connoisseurs. In order to revive the basmati to its original quality and to ensure that it marketing would not deplete, the State government drew a plan known as Basmati Cluster Project formally announced in 2015-16 annual budget.
However, not surprisingly this project also suffered the lethargy and apathy of the authorities which can be gleaned from the fact that only three days before the fiscal year came to an end, an amount of twenty lac rupees were released to the Director of Agricultural Production Department for utilization in impending the Basmati Cluster Project. He had to return the money saying that he could not expend it within three days of the fiscal year left. What we want to point out is that any scheme aimed at welfare of the peasants or people or any other section of community needs to be supported by the administration through logistical and financial support. Clustering means bringing under one umbrella activities like cultivation, nurturing, production and marketing of basmati of the identified villages. It will ensure organic properties of the product, parity in marketing and reasonable returns from international market. The Prime Minister has been stressing upon organic agriculture to maintain purity and originality of our agricultural products. As a conservative society we like to maintain our taste for organic good if it is possible to obtain the same.
Collectivism in agro industries is bound to prove very beneficial for the producers, be it the saffron production, in Pampore or horticulture production in Rafiabad in Kashmir or Basmati Cluster project in Jammu.
We hope that instructions of the chief minister about quickly floating the Basmati Cluster Project will be given due importance and funds and other facilities provided to the Agriculture Department to enforce the project efficiently and without further loss of time. The project has to be pulled out of apathy and indifference.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel