Jorhat, April 1: Assam Agricultural University (AAU) vice-chancellor K.M. Bujarbaruah today said the AAU had submitted a plan for the region to contribute to the UN's Sustainability in Agriculture goal for the next 15 years.
On the 48th foundation day of the university Bujarbaruah announced that the 10th college under the varsity - College of Dairy Sciences and Technology - would be started this year.
Governor P.B. Acharya, who was supposed to address the 48th foundation day of the University, had to go back midway in his chopper because of inclement weather.
Bujarbaruah said the millennium development goal of the UN had come to an end in 2015 and the goal for the next 15 years is food as well as nutritional security.
"We have given a blueprint of how the region can go about achieving this goal and we are expecting some funding from the UN in this regard," he said.
Bujarbaruah said in accordance with the Centre's Niti Aayog's directives, a task force had been constituted for the development of agriculture in Assam and that the university had submitted a Rs 13,500-crore proposal.
"Two rounds of discussions have already taken place and we are expecting at least 50 per cent of the amount, which will be huge," he said.
Through the projects of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the university would launch the first Farmers project in the state and Arya project, which would be implemented in Diphu, Karbi Anglong, to motivate young men and women to take up agriculture.
Apart from aiding the sustainable goals Bujarbaruah said he had given a presentation before the chief secretary of the state in which he had said in today's age, it was I.M.A.G.E - innovation, mastery through skill development, attractive farming practices, gainful employment and evolving the sustainable goals - which was of utmost importance.
He asked the gathering of teachers, researchers and students to think out of the box, go for vertical agriculture as life was becoming urban-centric, aeroponics, hydroponics, rooftop agriculture along with marketing, commerce and post-harvesting processing of fruits and crops to make agriculture attractive.
Referring to the government's emphasis on reaching out to farmers, Bujarbaruah said ICAR had given them Rs 11.5 crore for eight Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) to make them seed hubs and that each of the 23 KVKs located in different districts would be given Rs 1.65 lakh each to carry out massive awareness programmes on crop insurance among farmers.
Under the tribal sub-plan they had covered 125 villages in the past three years benefiting the farmers with both technology and support by way of crops and animals.
Further, 250 soil cards had been issued and 10,000 are ready to be distributed and that follow-up action by way of soil inputs would also be given to the farmers to increase soil fertility and decrease deficiencies.
