Guwahati: Governor Gulab Chand Kataria said that Assam Agricultural University and its graduates should be on the forefront to innovate a balanced effort for making nutritious food available to the burgeoning population while being benign on the environment and biodiversity.
Addressing the students at the 23rd convocation of Assam Agricultural University held on Saturday at the university campus in Jorhat, the Governor said that producing nutritious food for the ever-increasing population without imposing any burden on the environment and biodiversity is a challenge, which the university and graduate fraternity should embrace to convert the challenge into an opportunity. The Governor told the graduates that as a student of agricultural science, they have the opportunity to put their learning into practice. Together with the farming community they should work for the development of agriculture.
Kataria also said that Assam Agricultural University has been making significant contributions to agriculture education, research and extension. The growth in its infrastructure and human resource development is also helping its cause of agriculture development in the state. Addressing the graduates, the Governor said, “Your decision to pursue a career in agriculture opens up immense possibilities for you to help our farmers. To make the most of these opportunities, you need to stay abreast of the latest innovations to expand your knowledge and capabilities. Your efforts will definitely prove fruitful in making the country a prosperous nation”.
Highlighting the position of the nation in terms of food production, the Governor said that India has come out of the category of ‘food crisis country’ to become a ‘food grain exporting country. “Our policy makers, agricultural scientists and farmer brothers and sisters have made an important contribution in this regard”, the Governor added.
Considering the issues like increasing population, decreasing agricultural land, falling ground water level, decreasing soil fertility, climate change etc., the Governor asked the agriculture graduates to take responsibility to find solutions to these concerns. The Governor also said that governments at the Centre and State have taken several innovative steps in the form of schemes and programmes to support the farmers, which are playing a major role in improving the condition of the farmers. The steps have been taken to improve the lives of farmers by providing financial security, skill development, market access and sustainable farming practices. The Governor also hailed the Centre for providing adequate financial assistance to the agriculture sector through several farmer welfare schemes launched to empower and uplift them. It may be noted that the convocation witnessed conferment of degrees on 1500 students.
The Convocation was attended by Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, Member, NITI Aayog Professor Ramesh Chand, Vice-Chancellor of Assam Agricultural University Dr. Bidyut C. Deka, Deans, Heads of Departments and Centres and faculty members, stated a press release.
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