BHUBANESWAR: To improve farm productivity, the Odisha State Government has emphasized on deployment of Village Agriculture Workers (VAWS), Horticulture Extension Worker (HEW), Soil Conservation Extension Worker (SCEW) and Agriculture Overseers (AOs) in gram panchayats.
Directing the Collectors for early deployment of agricultural staff, the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department stated that greater interface of agriculture field personnel with farmers is necessary to achieve improved agriculture practices.
The trained staff can properly guide the farmers on how to get better output with less agricultural input, since adoption of high yield varieties of seeds is critical for higher farm income.
The VAWs and AOs have been directed to be available in their respective GP offices every week on a predetermined date and time and the district officials asked to assign one VAW or AO to two GPs for his/her weekly visit, sources said.
Anticipating that some GPs are likely to remain uncovered due to shortage of VAWs/AOs, Agriculture Secretary Saurabh Garg has issued instruction for mobilization of HEWs or SCEWs to cover those so that every panchayat is visited at least once every week.
The mechanism for co-ordination of agriculture field staff with the field scientists of OUAT at block and district level has been worked out, while the distribution list of GPs and urban local bodies among the VAWs and AOs is being finalized by Deputy Directors of Agriculture in consultation with the District Agriculture Officers.
Panchayats have also been directed to make space available to the agriculture field personnel for their weekly interaction with the farmers in the GP office. The Collectors have been asked to identify those VAWs/AOs, who are tagged with more than two GPs so that they can assign HEWs or SCEWs in those panchayats.
Project Director of Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) will organize a two-day workshop each month involving sub-divisional level extension functionaries of agriculture and allied departments as well as scientists from KVK and Regional Research and Technology Transfer Station (RRTTS) and take necessary step for dissemination of the recommendations at the panchayat level.
Similarly, decision has been taken for bi-weekly review meeting-cum-training programme which will be conducted by the Block Technology Team (BTT) at the block level on a fixed day involving Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) scientists, block farmers’ advisory committee members and sub-divisional level extension functionaries of agriculture and allied departments.
Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/
