Minister Pijush Hazarika Reviews Progress of Various Missions of Agriculture Department; Emphasises Crop Diversification and Doubling of Farmer Producer Companies
Minister Holds Meeting with PepsiCo to Explore Opportunities for Expanding Potato Farming and Strengthening Farmer-Industry Partnership
Dalim phukan.
Hills Live News, Guwahati. November 2: Minister for Agriculture, Irrigation and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Assam, Pijush Hazarika, today visited Krishi Bhawan, Directorate of Agriculture, Khanapara, and chaired a review meeting with the Commissioner and senior officials of the Agriculture Department to assess the progress of various departmental initiatives and ongoing missions.
The Minister reviewed key initiatives, including the Makhana Mission, Edible Oil Palm Mission and Pulse Mission, besides discussing the proposed Rajmah Mission in the Barak Valley. He emphasised timely implementation, greater accountability and stronger grassroots-level engagement to ensure that departmental initiatives translate into tangible benefits for farmers.
Highlighting the need for crop diversification beyond conventional paddy cultivation, Shri Hazarika stressed the potential of crops such as makhana, agarwood, edible oil palm, coconut and dragon fruit, along with other fruits and horticultural crops. He also underscored the Government’s vision of transforming Assam into a leading horticulture-based state by harnessing the district-specific agricultural potential of the state. The Minister further directed officials to work towards doubling the number of Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) to strengthen collective farming, market access and farmers’ income.
Later, the Minister held a meeting with representatives of PepsiCo at Krishi Bhawan in the presence of the Commissioner and senior officials of the Agriculture Department. Discussions focused on strengthening the company’s existing engagement with potato farmers in Assam and exploring opportunities to extend the partnership to more farmers across the state.
PepsiCo, which operates a plant in Nalbari, currently has around 1,200 potato farmers associated with its operations in Assam and has a significant requirement for potatoes. The Minister emphasised the importance of strengthening this partnership through better market linkages and increased income opportunities for farmers.
Reiterating the Government’s commitment to the welfare and prosperity of the farming community, Shri Hazarika stressed that strengthening agriculture, promoting crop diversification and fostering industry-farmer partnerships would remain key priorities.