MP govt to organise regional agri-conclave in Narsinghpur, Satna

Bhopal, May 11 (IANS) Buoyed by the success of the recently concluded regional summit on agriculture in Mandsaur district, the Madhya Pradesh government will organise two upcoming summits in Narsinghpur and Satna.

"The next summit will be held on May 25 in Narsinghpur, featuring an exhibition of advanced agricultural equipment, latest farm techniques, improvised high-yield variety seeds and information on modern food processing potential. The subsequent meeting is scheduled for June in Satna, where discussions will focus on enhancing farm yield and maximising farmers' benefits through value-added production," a senior government official said.

According to the Niti Aayog, Madhya Pradesh is the fastest-progressing state in India, with an accelerating pace of development.

"The upcoming summit aims to educate farmers on the latest farming techniques, new high-yield seed varieties, and, most importantly, how they can become self-reliant in electricity," the official said.

In a recent decision, the state government has announced a buy-back policy for solar power generated by farmers under the PM Surya Mitra Yojana.

The government is promoting solar energy adoption, enabling farmers to generate electricity using solar panels to operate their pumps.

Any excess power generated will be purchased by the state government.

Solar pumps will be provided at just 10 per cent of the cost, with the remaining amount subsidised by the state.

This initiative aims to free farmers from electricity bills, with plans to distribute 32 lakh solar pumps over the next three years.

The state will also emphasise district-wise horticultural crop mapping and the development of horticulture areas on vacant government lands, including universities.

"Nurseries can be promoted under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, along with district-level workshops and fairs to introduce farmers and entrepreneurs to best practices in places like Narsinghpur," officials said.

To recognise agricultural innovations, the state has proposed organising a horticulture and food processing summit, similar to the Global Investors Summit held for manufacturing and other industrial sectors earlier this year.

Following these agricultural summits, a horticulture industry conclave focusing on medicinal agriculture is planned for Neemuch and Mandsaur.

"Efforts to secure Geographical Indication (GI) tags for local products continue, enhancing the global recognition and export potential of Madhya Pradesh's specialty crops, such as Sharbati wheat and Basmati rice," officials added.

--IANS

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