Assam’s Agriculture Minister Pijush Hazarika has called for a strategic shift from traditional paddy cultivation to high-value horticulture, citing low profit margins from paddy farming. He emphasized the need to focus on lucrative cash crops such as areca nut, litchi, and black pepper to significantly increase rural incomes. Nearly 75 lakh people in Assam depend on farming, and the minister stressed the critical need to expand the state’s current irrigation coverage, which stands at just 24 percent of agricultural land.
Hazarika also emphasized the need for a decisive roadmap for rural economic growth, highlighting the importance of scaling up production to achieve self-sufficiency in items such as eggs, fish, poultry, and pork. This would eliminate the state’s reliance on other states for these products.
The minister pointed out that while India exports billions of dollars in agricultural products such as tea, meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables, Assam’s contribution remains minimal. He highlighted the national economic drain caused by importing pulses and edible oils, emphasizing the need for Assam to scale up production to achieve self-sufficiency.
A multi-stakeholder conclave was organized by the Assam Agricultural University (AAU) and the department of agriculture, bringing together academicians, agriculture scientists, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), financial institutions like NABARD, and key allied departments. The conclave aimed to forge a collaborative approach to modernizing the state’s farm sector.
Hazarika directed the academic community to utilize this collaborative platform to guide the department in selecting region-specific crops and developing climate-resilient seeds and saplings. He concluded by stating that the interface must serve as a dynamic bridge connecting scientific research directly to the fields, transforming Assam’s agricultural landscape from basic subsistence to a highly profitable commercial enterprise.
