Union Minister for Agriculture, stressed the need for strengthening the marketing of the agricultural produce on priority to ensure that agriculture becomes beneficial for the farmers of the country. In his valedictory address at 4th India International Potato Expo 2015 today at Chandigarh the Minister said that allied sectors of the agriculture like horticulture, diary, and fisheries be promoted and persification of the crops especially their proper marketing is essential to ensure to increase the income of the farmers. He said that Haryana Horticulture University will be opened soon in consultation with the State Government. He informed the gathering that the final draft of Irrigation Policy has been prepared and the same will be implemented in all the states. This policy will be able to provide water to every district and work for everybody. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Om Prakash Dhankar, Minister of Agriculture & Horticulture Development, Government of Haryana mentioned that Excellency Centres in every districts for horticulture in Haryana will be opened to provide better marketing.
Dr. Sanjeev Chopra, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture said that market linkage is the only solution for the potato farmers in India. Hence, effort should be made to develop better market for the farmers domestically and internationally. Government officials, scientists and industry experts deliberated on the problems being faced by potato industry including lower potential yield, early harvesting, uneconomic landholdings, requirement of capital that is mostly unavailable with farmers, shortage of farm labour, wrong dose of fertilizer, inadequate and inefficient transport infrastructure, enhanced pest resistance, global warming, and inefficient cold storage facility. It was felt that the selection of seed, water and pesticides are very important to generate good quality potato. This will help the farmers to get better market domestically and internationally.
The 4th India International Potato Expo 2015 was supported by Ministry of Food Processing Industry, Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture, NABARD, Food and Agriculture Organization, Department of Horticulture, Government of Haryana, Government of Bihar, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Government of Uttrakhand, Government of Meghalaya and National Horticulture Board.