Administrative building and farmers’ hostel of KVK, Ahmednagar opens

Discussions were held on doubling farmers’ income in the country

Dr Ashok Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR recently inaugurated the administrative building and farmers’ hostel of KVK, Dahigaon, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. In his inaugural speech, Dr Singh highlighted the KVK’s efforts for doubling the farmers’ income in the country. The DDG stated that the introduction of additional enterprises like poultry farming; goat rearing, horticulture nursery and mushroom cultivation, etc., will help in doubling the farmers’ income.

The Government of India’s focus on natural farming and organic farming by the use of bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides and judicious use of chemical fertilisers was underlined by Dr Singh. The Deputy Director-General stressed linking the farmers with markets through the Farmers’ Producers’ Organizations (FPOs), crop residue management, conservation agriculture, reducing the cost of cultivation, processing and value addition.

Dr Narendra Ghule Patil, President, Marutrao Ghule Patil Shikshan Sanstha highlighted the challenges and opportunities in front of farmers and the role of KVK in resolving them more strategically.

In his address, Dr Lakhan Singh, Director, ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Pune, Maharashtra applauded the KVK’s work, especially, the large scale adoption of BDN-711 (Pigeon Pea), Phule Vikram (Chickpea), Phule Samadhan (Wheat), Sugarcane Nursery and Climate-Resilient Technologies.

The senior officials of the State Department of Maharashtra along with ICAR Institutes, State Agricultural Universities and more than 200 farmers and extension functionaries participated in the event.

Discussions were held on doubling farmers’ income