President Murmu launches 4th agriculture road map of Bihar

Patna, Oct 18 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday inaugurated Bihar's fourth agriculture road map aimed at enhancing agriculture production.

On her arrival, the President was welcomed by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his Deputy Tejeshwi Yadav and other ministers and bureaucrats at the airport.

From the airport, President Murmu reached Bapu Sabhagar at Gandhi Maidan and inaugurated the fourth agriculture road map of the state.

Notably, Bihar has 93.60 lakh hectares land of which 79.46 lakh hectares land is being used for the agriculture purpose.

Around 74 per cent people of Bihar are dependent on agriculture which contributes to 19 to 20 per cent in the GDP of the state. Besides agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries have a 6 percent contribution in GDP of the state prompting Nitish Kumar government to launch the agriculture road map in Bihar.

In the first agriculture road map in 2007, the state government came with the plans to increase the production of food grains and the farmers were highly successful in the paddy farming.

The budget of the first agriculture road map was small. The second agriculture road map was brought in in 2012 where 18 departments of state government were involved and an agriculture cabinet was formed.

After the second agriculture road map, Bihar won the Krishi Karman prize in 2012 in the production of rice and same prize was won in 2013 for wheat production.

In Maize production in 2016, the state government won the Krishi Karman prize.

The third agriculture road map was introduced in 2017 and was extended for one year due to pandemic period.

The Bihar government focused on organic farming and providing electricity to the farmers.

The state government was focused on developing green stretches in the state and managed to formed 15 such green stretches and aimed at supplying water to every farming land.

However, it has not achieved it yet.

The Bihar government is expecting to achieve it till the end of 2025.