Move to make distribution of farm channel mandatory

The agriculture ministry is talking to the information and broadcasting ministry to make it mandatory for all cable operators to show the Krishi channel, which is aimed exclusively at farmers.

At present, most cable operators do not telecast this channel, denying rural viewers access to it.

This channel was launched by Doordarshan last month for telecasting a daily one-hour programme on agriculture. These programmes are also being telecast from the transmission network of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

Agriculture Secretary RCA Jain said this at a two-day national conference of state agriculture officials that began here today. The conference seeks to chalk out programmes and targets for the next kharif season.

He said the facilities for down-linking the programmes of the kisan channel would be created at the Kisan Vikas Kendras (farmers' development centres) as well.

Referring to another recent initiative of setting up of kisan call centers, Jain said the response from the farmers was very encouraging. About 2,000 calls were being received by these centres every day. Though some lacunae in the functioning of these centres had been noticed, efforts were on to rectify them.

He said the new agricultural income insurance scheme would be extended to 100 districts from the present 20 districts during the ensuing kharif season. Care would be taken to ensure that all the states and Union territories are covered under this scheme in this phase of expansion.

The officials from the states would indicate their estimates of likely agricultural production during the current year. This data is likely to be released tomorrow.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Director-General Mangala Rai told the meeting that the progress made by the Indian agriculture, though impressive, was not commensurate with its true potential. Technology transfer held the key to speeding up agricultural growth, Rai added.

Rai expressed satisfaction over the fact that while agricultural production had risen substantially this year, prices had not fallen.

Otherwise, the farmers would have been deprived of the income gains from enhanced production.

More visibility

• The agriculture ministry is talking to the information and broadcasting ministry to make it mandatory for all cable operators to show the channel
• At present, most cable operators do not telecast this channel, denying rural viewers access to it
• This channel was launched by Doordarshan last month