Bengal Agriculture Minister pitches for farm mechanisation

“The concept of farm mechanisation must be popularised. In this era of science, technologies and globalisation, farmers can’t afford to stay away from mechanisation and stick to the archaic methods of farming,” Basu told a gathering of farmers, industry members and researchers here.

Inaugurating the three-day Krishi Unnayan Mela, organised by the CII here, at the Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya campus, Basu said the state government was working hard on a mechanism to create strong and sustainable agriculture-industry linkage to facilitate a comfortable credit flow in the farm sector.

“We are looking for big investments from corporates in the farm sector. This is something that will unleash the state’s potential to the fullest and in turn create a thriving market of farm equipment,” he explained.

The state agriculture department was the partner in the three-day event, which aims at encouraging farmers to master the practices followed by agriculturally advanced countries in high-value farming.