Question : BILATERAL CO OPERATION ON AGRICULTURE

(a) whether the Government has formulated any policy on bilateral cooperation with other nations like Australia, UK, US, New Zealand to share the experiences in various sectors like livestocks, processing, cold chain management, animal breeding and protected cultivation of high value crops;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) the steps taken by the Government to strengthen the infrastructure of the KVKs, in the country; and

(d) the steps taken by the Government to implement the new technologies and technological intervention at the grass root?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (SHRI MOHANBHAI KUNDARIA)

(a) & (b): Government of India has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU)/Agreement on the basis of mutual needs and interest and has signed MoU/Agreements with 63 countries of the World including Australia and USA for cooperation in the field of agriculture & allied sectors.

(c) & (d): The Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) is provided with the building infrastructure depending upon its needs including a main building, trainees’ hotel, two demonstration units and 6 residential apartments for the staff, fencing and farm development. During the X and XI Plan KVKs were strengthened by providing additional facilities like e-linkages to 198 KVKs and 8 Zonal Project Directors, Establishment of 389 Soil & Water Testing Laboratories, Establishment of 139 Basic Plant Health Diagnostic facilities, Providing 20 minimal agro-processing facilities, Providing 118 Demonstration Units on Rain Water Harvesting structure with micro water irrigation system, Establishment of 51 Portable Carp Hatcheries, Establishment of 50 Demonstration Unit on Integrated farming system and Establishment of 27 Mobile diagnostic cum exhibition units at multidisciplinary State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) In addition of above, financial support was provided to strengthen the Directorates of Extension of 39 SAUs and one Central Agricultural University (CAU) for knowledge empowerment, technological backstopping, HRD and overseeing the KVK activities.

During the XII Plan, steps have been taken to strengthen selected KVKs with additional facilities such as Rain Water Harvesting Structure with Micro Irrigation System, Soil and Water Testing Facility, Minimum Processing facility, Carp Hatchery facility, Integrated Farming System (IFS), additional KVKs for e-Extension facility, Technology Information Unit, Mini Seed Processing facility, Provision of 25 KVA silent Genset to KVKs, Micro Nutrient Analysis facility, Solar Panel facility, Establishment of KVK and KVK Net, Providing IT Kit to Farm Innovators - e farmers, Specialized KVKs for enhancing the production potential of agricultural technologies and technological interventions on farmer’s fields.

Further, to supplement the effort of the main extension system of the State Governments, KVKs provide technological backstopping for capacity building of grass root level extension personal who take-up the technological interventions with farmers. Besides, KVKs directly take up the technological interventions like On-Farm-Trials and Front-line-Demonstrations at farmers field and update knowledge and skills of farmers through training programmes and create awareness among them on improved technologies through various extension programmes.