Patna, Aug 7 (PTI) The Bihar government has urged the Centre to open a branch office of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in Patna to boost the export of agricultural produce from the state.
Speaking to reporters here, state Agriculture Minister Mangal Pandey on Wednesday said, “There is a need to further improve the export of agricultural produce from the state, including those that are GI-tagged.” “The NDA government in the state has requested the Centre to open a branch office of APEDA in Patna for this purpose. Currently, Bihar coordinates with the APEDA office in Varanasi. If an APEDA branch office is opened in Patna, it will further boost the export of agricultural produce from Bihar,” he asserted.
APEDA is the premier body for the export of fresh vegetables and fruits. It provides the crucial interface between farmers, storehouses, packers, exporters, surface transport, ports, Railways, Airways, and all others engaged in exports to the international market.
Geographical Indication (GI) is a sign used on products originating from a specific geographical location with a distinct nature, quality and characteristics linked to that location. The GI-tagged agricultural produce from Bihar include Shahi Litchi, Bhagalpuri Zardalu mango, Katarni rice, Maricha rice and Magahi Paan (beetle leaf).
“Even after a deficit in rainfall in July, paddy sowing has been almost completed in a majority of the districts. The districts where paddy sowing is quite satisfactory include Katihar, Sharsha, Kishanganj and Araria,” he said.
“The state government has decided to provide diesel subsidy to farmers of areas that have faced acute rainfall deficit. In the 2024-25 fiscal, a total of Rs 150 crore has been sanctioned by the government for the purpose,” Pandey added.
The affected farmers will get a grant of Rs 75 per litre of diesel for irrigating paddy crops with the help of diesel pump sets, he added.
Besides, in an attempt to save the crops from ‘Ghodparas’, popularly known as Nilgai (blue bulls), and wild boars in certain parts of the state, the state government has decided to allow action, including culling of the animals with the help of 13 hired professional shooters of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, Pandey said.
The districts where ghodparas and wild boars are in large numbers are Vaishali, East Champaran, West Champaran, Begusarai, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, and Buxar.
“The decision to kill ghodparas and wild boars in the affected areas will be taken jointly by the officials of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Agriculture, Panchayati Raj and Police departments. The role of the mukhiya (village heads) is important in the entire process right from killing the animals to their burial,” he said.
“According to a rough estimate, the total number of ghodparas in these districts is around 3 lakh, whereas the number of wild boars is around 67,255. These two animals move around in herds and destroy acres of crops in a day,” he said, adding farmers have to guard their crops from these two animals in some parts of the state. PTI PKD ACD
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