Gwalior, March 24 (IANS) With the harvesting of Rabi crops such as wheat, gram, mustard, and lentils already underway in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has appealed to farmers not to burn crop residue after harvesting, as this reduces soil fertility.
Yadav said the state government has started providing Happy Seeder machines to beneficiaries for straw production. He added that farmers can sell the fodder to nearby gaushalas, enabling them to earn additional income along with their wheat production.
The Happy Seeder is a tractor-mounted, zero-tillage farming machine that sows seeds directly into previous crop residues without burning them.
The Chief Minister stated that the government has planned to establish custom hiring centres at the assembly constituency level so that farmers can avail of machinery for harvesting their crops on time.
He also assured that farmers would be provided 24-hour electricity for irrigation after the monsoon season.
“Despite the scorching heat, farmers work tirelessly to grow food for everyone. The state government is committed to ensuring the prosperity of farmers,” he said.
Yadav made these remarks while addressing a farmers’ conference held in Datia district under Gwalior division on Tuesday.
Addressing a large gathering of farmers during the programme, the Chief Minister reiterated his appeal that farmers should adopt modern agricultural equipment, expand into animal husbandry and fisheries, and establish agro-based industries and food processing units to double their income.
He stated that several schemes had been introduced to support these efforts, adding that farmers were now also producing fodder through machines as part of crop residue management, enabling them to earn from both wheat and straw.
Meanwhile, Yadav visited a farmer’s field in the Bhander area of Datia and rode a straw reaper machine operating there. He interacted with the farmer and gathered information about the machine and its benefits.
On this occasion, Yadav also laid the foundation stone for new development projects worth Rs 62.23 crore for the Datia district.
--IANS
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