CM urges deeper involvement of Agri and Horti Deptt personnel

ANNOUNCES ESTABLISHMENT OF AUCTION HOUSE AT PAKYONG AIRPORT 
GANGTOK, 18 July: “65 percent of the entire state’s budget goes towards payment of salaries to the 50,000 government employees. It is time for the employees to now realise that since a major share of the funds go to them, they should deliver exceptionally well on the responsibilities shouldered on them and leave no room for complaint,” said Chief Minister Pawan Chamling at the daylong interactive meeting with officials and staff of Food Security & Agriculture Development Department and Horticulture Cash Crop Development Department here at Manan Bhawan today.
Also in attendance were around 200 farmers, service providers, and NGO and SHG representatives from all the four districts. The concerned Minister, DN Thakarpa, Chief Secretary Karma Gyatso, Chairman Farmers Welfare Board, PL Subba, Advisor BM Ramudamu, Secretary Agriculture, Vishal Chauhan, Secretaries from different line departments and officials of the various state and central agencies associated with the sector were also present.
The CM, while stressing on the need for government employees to have a more pro- active approach towards the development of the State and keener understanding of the vision of the policy makers, urged all present to deliver on their services with dedication and in the process develop a true sense of belonging and ownership towards the state and its people.
“The farmers and labourers working in the fields depend solely on the decisions officials make for them. Since 90 percent of all employees are also from rural backgrounds, they are expected to understand rural issues, realities, plight and requirements better and address them efficiently. However, such engagement is still awaited and I sincerely hope that you will introspect and keep this in mind from henceforth,” added the CM.
He directed the VLWs and other field functionaries to come forward with proposals on what is feasible and best suited for their respective areas and submit them to the department.
In this context, he remarked that in his 18 years as the Chief Minister, no proposal or solution had come up from government offices dedicated to areas such as agriculture and horticulture towards making this field of employment and revenue generation more lucrative, attractive and appealing to the coming generations.
“Professionalism in this sector has to be developed and a farmer should be made to understand and rewarded in a way that he or she will not abandon this sector for other professions and for that matter also attract the unemployed youth  into this sector that has enjoys so much respectability in other countries,” stated the CM.
Here, he added that opting for the revolutionary State Organic Mission was one such venture that had been envisioned by the government to make this sector lucrative with high benefits and less volume.
“We have to start taking examples from regions that are still working hard and doing well without the required natural resources, a feature that we are so rich in. We have all the required aspects to be the best so why don’t we capitalize on it? We should all realise that without understanding our responsibilities we are not going to achieve our goal of a totally organic and self reliant state by 2015,” he highlighted.
Further, the CM expressed that he had considered opting for organic farming since he deeply felt about the need for transformation in the existing agriculture sector.
“I have seen my mother and father work tirelessly in the fields and still their lives carried on without even being able to give proper education to their children. Even today, when you ask a child from the villages what their parents do, they still hesitate from saying that they are farmers. Why this mindset still prevails and how we can change this should be our aim now,” explained the CM.
Another reason cited by him for opting to go totally organic was for health reasons. “Going organic is going for a healthy Sikkim. There is nothing more valuable than life and in existing times, the food we consume is actually killing us. By going organic we want to counter this problem first and then other benefits will follow. Recently, we were also on national television for our revolutionary role towards this positive transformation for which we have now been recognized everywhere, we have become the trendsetters,” he stated.
On the day, the CM also announced that an auction house would soon be set up at the Greenfield airport coming up at Pakyong where horticulture and agriculture produce can be sold in bulk. This auction house will have all the required facilities like warehousing and cold storage, and will be managed by the Agriculture and Horticulture Department, he informed.
Earlier, officials from the two departments made power-point presentations on the Sikkim Organic Mission and preparation made thus far for the International Flower Show 2013, the progress made by the Agriculture and Horticulture departments respectively. It was informed here that the major challenges in the sector at present were sustainability and market linkages.
It may be informed that the state has planned one of the biggest flower shows from 23 to 27 February 2013. The International Flower Show was initiated in 2008 and this coming year the government has plans to make it a grand event as well.
It was also mentioned that Rs. 422.31 lakh has been used by the department in the sector as per directions given by the CM during his 42 days village-to-village tour last year. Similarly, light was also shed on the establishment of livelihood schools and initiation of training programmes for farmers on their roles and responsibilities.
Lastly, it was also informed that the State Organic Mission had started with a certified area of 8,128 Ha and during its first phase in the year 2010-11 covered 18,242 Ha and similarly covered 20,708 Ha during the second phase 2011-12. The third phase during the year 2012-13 will see 11,058 Ha being covered under organic farming which will amount to approximately 58,218 Ha of total land under organic farming in the state.