Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Mukut Mithi announced that agriculture and allied sector would be the thrust area of his Government during the 10th five year Plan. Addressing a seminar on “watershed management”, Mr. Mithi asked the State Agriculture department to bring more blocks under the watershed development programme to meet people’s demand for food, fodder and fuel and small timber on a sustainable basis to rehabilitate the people affected by jhum cultivation. He said planning and implementation of a watershed development programme was complex and involved decision making about use of resources for many purposes requiring multi-disciplinary approach, so a co-ordinated approach should be adopted.

Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture Minister Tako Dabi speaking on the occasion called for making the watershed management programme people-oriented and sustainable. Mr. Dabi said the recent announcement of the agriculture policy by the State Governments showed the commitment of the Government to boost agriculture sector. Sixty per cent of the State’s cultivated area was under shifting cultivation, he said, emphasising on the reorientation of approach to benefit the affected people.

Minister of State for Agriculture Naresh Glow said shifting cultivation cannot be totally checked in this hilly State due to various topographical and socio-economic reasons. Finance departments of the North-Eastern states have been sitting over the funds allocated for shifting cultivation and releasing them at the fag end of the year defeating the main purpose of the Central scheme Commissioner in the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, Suraj Bhan said addressing the seminar. Mr. Bhan said the Central Government was ready to provide funds for development of agriculture in the North-East but no proposal was coming from the State Governments.
     
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