India exported agricultural produce worth Rs 2.32 lakh crores this year after addressing the consumption need of 1.2 billion population: Shri Pawar

PIB, KalimNews, Gangtok, 30th November, 2013: The Union Agriculture and Food Processing Industries Minister Shri Sharad Pawar today said India exported agricultural produce worth Rs 2.32 lakh crores this year after addressing the consumption need of 1.2 billion population and stocking foodgrains much above the buffer norms. 
Addressing the inauguration of North Academic Block of the College of Agriculture Engineering and Post Harvest Technology near Ranipool in Sikkim today, Shri Pawar said, India is today highest producer of milk, pulses, jute and second in the production of rice, wheat, sugarcane, groundnuts, vegetable foods and cotton in the world. It is also the leading producer of spices and plantation crops as well as livestock, fisheries and poultry. India is thus emerging as a major player in the international market. The credit for this goes to farming community, scientists, technologists and the state governments, he added. 
Referring to the just concluded two-day Conference of NE Agriculture & Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Ministers in Gangtok, the Union Minister said, the major emphasis of these deliberations were on need of adequate and appropriate post harvest infrastructure in NE regions. And here emerged, the importance of Agricultural Engineering and Post Harvest College in agriculture economy of the region. The challenges before agriculture scientists are an urgent need of production and supply of organic inputs to enterprising farmers in states like Sikkim. As a college of agricultural engineering, Shri Pawar said, it is the responsibility of this institution to design, develop, modified tools, equipments and machinery suitable for this region which is women friendly and reduces drudgery. The minister expressed hope that the college will take responsibility of providing engineering base intervention for development of animal husbandry, dairying and fishery sector. 
Shri Pawar said, he would like to see synergy between the existing engineering and post harvest Technology College and the proposed Horticulture College in Sikkim to provide an excellent opportunities for the students of both colleges to see end to end production and processing. The minister appreciated the role of Central Agriculture University in development of agriculture centre in the North East. He said, he had recently laid the foundation of Agriculture College in Arunachal Pradesh and on 28th of this month announced establishment of Horticulture College in Sikkim. 
He expressed the hope that the existing engineering college and the proposed horticulture college in Sikkim will be complimentary to each other. The Governor of Sikkim Shri Shrinivas Patil, Chief Minister Shri Pawan Chamling, and Vice Chancellor of Central Agriculture University Dr S N Puri addressed the inaugural function. State Agriculture Minister Shri D N Thakarpa, Lok Sabha MP Sikkim Shri P D Rai were also present on the occasion. (PIB)