Patna: In its bid to ensure maximum return of agricultural produce, the state government has decided to upgrade and modernise as many as 21 agricultural marketing campuses across the state at the cost of ₹1,289 crore.
This was stated by deputy chief minister-cum-finance minister Samrat Chaudhary at the press conference held in the state legislature after presenting the annual budget of ₹3.17 lakh crore in both houses on March 3.
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The agriculture department has been allocated ₹2,802.13 crore in its scheme outlay for the fiscal 2025-26 vis-a-vis ₹2,782 crore in the budget outlay for the previous current fiscal 2024-25.
Chaudhary said that the upgrade of marketing facilities would help farmers get better returns of their products. “Besides, cold storages would be built at the sub-divisional and block levels for increasing shelf-life of perishable items,” said the deputy CM.
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“The state government has been negotiating with the National Cooperative Consumer Federation (NCCF) to decide the minimum support price (MSP) of pulses like Arhar, Moong and Urad and ensure their procurement by Nafed. Vegetable outlets on the pattern of Sudha would be opened across the state to enhance farmers’ income. Marketing of vegetables would be done through the state vegetable processing and marketing federation,” said Chaudhary.
The state government has also proposed to set up primary vegetable cooperative societies (PVCS) for smooth marketing of perishable farm products. Efforts would be initiated to establish a centre of excellence for jaggery production in Samastipur’s Pusa area to encourage and support sugarcane farmers.
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The Deputy CM lauded the department’s initiatives to promote climate resilient agriculture and said the department had won the Global Transversability and Conclave Awards, instituted by the India Water Foundation in 2024 for developing barren land in Banka as farm production. “As many as 109 villages across 38 districts are being developed as model villages for production of climate resilient agriculture,” said Chaudhary, adding tha millets are being cultivated on about 1.25 lakh acre across the with good yield.
