Nitish Kumar addresses the farmers’ congregation in Patna. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Feb. 4: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today announced the government would make a budgetary provision of about Rs 9,000-10,000 crore for the farm sector to implement the ambitious agriculture roadmap from April this year.

Addressing a farmers’ congregation at the Sri Krishna Memorial hall, the chief minister said of the Rs 28,000 crore annual plan outlay for 2012-13, about Rs 9,000-10,000 crore would be spent on agriculture.

He said the money would be spent in various sectors, including agriculture production, energy, rural works department, animal and fish resources, cooperative, water resources, minor irrigation, food processing, enhancement of foodgrain storage capacity, providing marketing linkage, forest and environment, agri-research, education and revenue.

Nitish said the agriculture roadmap would script a new story for the state’s all-round development between 2012 and 2022. “We have made remarkable progress during the first agriculture roadmap between 2008 and 2012. Bihar has topped in the country as far as production of honey is concerned in the past four years,” he said.

The chief minister said that during the first agriculture roadmap, several measures such as seed extension scheme, seed gram scheme and use of agriculture equipment were launched for the benefit of farmers.

He said the new agriculture roadmap would now focus on increasing production and productivity. The state would become self-reliant soon in production of fishes. “We are trying our best to achieve the target as production has increased in the past few years,” he said.

The roadmap would ensure better production, markets and now we have also taken steps for updating land records, Nitish said. “We will ensure proper electricity and lay thrust on food processing, horticulture, fishery, poultry through implementing the roadmap,” Nitish said.

He said the suggestions received from the farmers on the agriculture roadmap at the congregation would be uploaded on the state government website. “Those who have missed the opportunity would be disappointed. Soon dates for giving suggestions will be announced. During the period their suggestions will be solicited,” he said.

The chief minister said the suggestions received from farmers would be placed for discussion in both Houses of the state legislature during the coming session. The 14-member committee would submit a final proposal, which would be put before the cabinet, he said.