‘GRAM’—a simple, 4-letter word beautifully captures the essence of India, which is a predominantly agricultural country. Gram, an analogue of “village” or rural region in English language, holds the key to our country’s growth, progress & economic development via agriculture. We may not realise their importance, but farmers form the backbone of Indian economy. With over 70% Indian population involved in agriculture, we just can’t ignore the contribution of farmers in development. Realising how important farmers are to state economy, Rajasthan government is organising GRAM 2017 in the education city of India.
GRAM Kota is a successful sequel to Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet held in Jaipur last November.
Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet Splashes Beautiful Colours at RAC Ground, Kota
Honourable CM and union minister of housing, poverty alleviation & information broadcasting Mr. Venkaiah Naidu Kota inaugurated GRAM 2017 followed by a lamp lighting ceremony and vivid, colourful performances put up by local artists on stage. Rajasthan agriculture minister Mr. Prabhulal Saini and Principle Secretary of Agriculture Ms. Neeklkamal Darbari shed light on Kota’s agricultural potential.
5 Major Highlights of GRAM 2017 in Kota this Month…
Pearl farming
Rajasthan will attempt to encash ‘red pearls’ from artificially cultured freshwater farming. The desert state has borrowed this art from Orissa: a master of pearl farming. The first pearl farm in Rajasthan will be set up in Nainwan (Bundi) by this year. Raising 200 freshwater oysters in tanks for 8 months will yield hundreds of pearls within a year. These beautiful pearls can fetch up to Rs. 1.5 lakh per month.
Apiculture
The Hadouti belt (comprising of Kota, Boondi, Baran and Jhalawar) harbours promising opportunities in apiculture (the science of beekeeping). The place accommodates 8500 apiaries (artificial honey combs)—a courtesy of forest department. These apiaries yield up to 1.5 lakh ton honey that costs around 1 crore 36 lakh rupees—a whooping sum for Rajasthan farmers.
Demo on Drip Irrigation
For ages, we’ve been hearing about drip irrigation—a water-savvy technology of administering water to crops growing in fields. The technology deploys artificial drips connected to plants that supply water ‘drop by drop’, directly to the plant roots. At Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet, Kota farmers can participate in live demonstration of drip irrigation technique in ‘Smart Farms’. This way, it’ll be easier for them to put it in practice.
Unique Animals
GRAM 2016 was all about ‘Yuvraj’, but 2017 GRAM embraces ‘Sultan’ and ‘Lalaram’ as well. No, we aren’t talking about celebrities here, but unique buffalo ‘models’ that are main highlights of the show. Yuvraj the mighty 9-year-old bull from Haryana is 5.7 feet tall and weighs approximately 1500 kg. His total ‘net worth’ is Rs 9 crores.
Likwise, Sultan (an 8-year-old) bull from Budhakheda is 5.11 feet tall and weighs approximately 1600 kg. His total ‘net worth’ is Rs. 21 crores. Hadouti’s Sultan is 3.5 year bull weighing around 900 kg. The chap is 4.5 feet tall.
[themify_box style=”light-green”]GRAM offers an opportunity to animal breeders to display their breeding talents at global scale.[/themify_box]
Food Processing and Warehousing
The Hadouti belt houses 9 cold storages and countless warehouses for storage. The government will educate farmers about intricacies of food processing, agro-marketing and warehousing so they can sell their best harvest all year round.
These were 5 major highlights of GRAM, but that’s not all! There are plenty of more wonders that you need to discover! Stay tuned for more updates.
