President Droupadi Murmu, on Wednesday, launched the fourth Krishi Road Map (2023-2028) of Bihar with a clarion call to the farmers of the state to take advantage of the rising demand for organic products.

Agriculture, she said, was an important part of the folk culture of Bihar. It was the basis of Bihar’s economy. Agriculture and allied sectors not only employ almost half of the state’s workforce but also contribute significantly to the state’s GDP, the president said at a function in Patna.

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The president said the all-round development of the agriculture sector was very important. She was happy to note that the government of Bihar has been implementing the Agriculture Road Map since 2008. She noted that as a result of the implementation of the last three agricultural road maps, the productivity of paddy, wheat and maize in the state has almost doubled.

Bihar has also become a leading state in the production of mushroom, honey, makhana and fish. She said that the launch of the fourth Agriculture Road Map was an important step towards taking this effort forward.

President Murmu pointed out that the farmers of Bihar were known for striving and adopting new experiments in farming. This was the reason why a Nobel Prize winner economist called the farmers of Nalanda “greater than scientists”.

She was happy to note that despite adopting modern farming methods, the farmers of Bihar have preserved the traditional methods of agriculture and varieties of grains. She described it as a good example of the harmony of tradition with modernity.

She urged the farmers to take advantage of the rising demand for organic products. She said that organic farming was helpful in reducing the cost of agriculture and environmental conservation. It was also capable of increasing the farmers’ income and providing nutritious food to the people. She was happy to note that the Government of Bihar has created an organic corridor in the districts along the banks of Ganga to boost organic farming.

The President said that global warming and climate change were a crisis for the existence of entire humanity. But these affect the poor the most. She noted that Bihar has received very little rainfall in recent years. She said that Bihar has been considered a water-rich state, rivers and ponds have been the identity of this state. To maintain this identity, it was very important to pay attention to water conservation. She stated that Climate Resilient Agriculture could play an important role in dealing with the challenge of climate change.