Animal husbandry and fisheries minister Giriraj Singh lights the traditional lamp at the workshop in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, June 21: Chief minister Nitish Kumar is eyeing 7 per cent growth in the next five years in the agriculture sector, almost double the central government’s target of 4 per cent.

Minister for animal husbandry and fisheries Giriraj Singh, one of the trustworthy members of Nitish’s team, made public his ambitious goal today at a workshop organised by the state animal husbandry and fisheries department. The workshop dealt with the roadmap for increasing possibilities in the field of animal husbandry and fisheries department between 2012 and 2017.

Inaugurating the workshop, Singh said: “Two months ago, the chief minister had called for an agriculture cabinet, wherein ministers from 17 different departments took part. In that cabinet, 14 inter-department committees were formed under the animal husbandry and fisheries department. The various sectors, which are co-linked with agriculture, were divided in that particular committee. The aim behind this set-up was only to boost agriculture, where Nitish felt that the integrated and inclusive development of agriculture involved development of all the sectors individually.”

Singh added that the 7 per cent growth rate in agriculture sector was discussed in the cabinet and had been the part of further discussions also.

“Today, our workshop aims to discuss the various parameters of development in the agriculture sector that involves all the sectors — poultry, fishery, mainstream agriculture (production of foodgrain), horticulture. There will be two sittings tomorrow on the same topic,” Singh said.

“The topic of discussion will veer around how to generate 1.5 crore jobs in the state through agriculture. Our focus will be on backward poultry and backward dairy, to improve the breeding policy and agriculture system,” Singh said, adding that the state government wants to create a roadmap for development in animal husbandry and fisheries sector for 2012-2017 to ensure its effect stays for the next 15-20 years.

S. Ayappan, the director-general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, expressed his desire to work for the development of agriculture sector in Bihar.

“At present, the agriculture sector of the country faces many challenges, not only related to the climatic change but its adverse effects on the agriculture’s development. So we need to create a set-up to ease the journey of farmers from sowing seeds to reaching the produce to the market. Bio-farming, food processing, development of good seed bank, increasing milk production, fish farming, everything needs to be boosted,” said Ayappan.

Mangala Ray, the agriculture development advisor of the state government, said there was a need for setting up different models for the farmers so that they can have enough options.