Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today said the state will sign Rs 3,500 crore-worth of MoUs to strengthen and boost the agriculture sector.
"The government will sign Rs 3,500 crore-worth of MoUs to to not only strengthen the state's agriculture sector but also promote innovations and entrepreneurial solutions," she said in the inaugural session of the three-day Global Rajasthan Agrotech Meet-2016 (GRAM) here.
MoUs will be signed on the second day of the event tomorrow, she informed.
"Rajasthan has successfully cultivated olives and a refinery has been set-up and results are encouraging," Raje said, asking farmers to opt for organic farming.
The state had launched the 'Nyay Apke Dwar' and 'Jan Kalyan Panchayati Shivir' to address problems of farmers, she said.
GRAM was inaugurated by Governor Kalyan Singh and attended by the union and state ministers, and Yoga Guru Ramdev.
"Farmers, experts, industrialists and the government will have to take collective efforts to double the income of farmers by 2022," Singh said.
Alternate employment opportunities should also be provided to farmers to curb their migration, he said.
"Road, irrigation, power, education, health, safety, self-employment and self-reliance were needed to make villages smart," the Governor said.
On central initiatives, Union Minister of State for AgricultureParshottamRupala said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken several decisions and initiatives to double the income of farmers by 2022."
Meanwhile, Yoga Guru Ramdev asked farmers to grow Aloe-vera, gooseberry and other crops.
"I will procure them in large quantities. Patanjali will foray into the market of spices and milk under its expansion plans," he said.
Ramdev said he was willing to start work on cow conservation in Rajasthan with the assistance of the state government.
State Agriculture Minister Prabhu Lal Saini said, "New crops have been cultivated in the state. This includes olive, date and palm, and their plantations are delivering encouraging results."
The three-day event is likely to see a footfall of around 50,000 farmers from across the state. An exhibition showcasing new technologies and solutions in the farming sector has also been set up at the GRAM venue.
Ambassador of Israel to India, Daniel Carmonsaid, "Rajasthan and Israel have a long partnership. The Centre of Excellence was being run in cooperation with Israel which has trained many farmers."
The climate of Israel and Rajasthan are similar. Israel has brought water saving and farming technologies into practice in Rajasthan, he said.
Rajasthan is far ahead than other states in taking advantage of the farming techniques used in Israel.
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