Patna: After taking a decision to revive sugar mills in the state, the Bihar government is now exploring the idea of cooperative farming. The government is sending a team of cooperative members to Gujarat to study how cooperative farming is being practised there, State Cooperative Minister Pramod Kumar said on Monday, The Hindu reported.
Out of 17 sugar mills in Gujarat, 15 are in the cooperative sector.
Addressing the press, the minister said groups of 50 people each, associated with cooperative societies under the department, will visit Gujarat to understand how cooperative farming is generating jobs. After studying the model, the teams are expected to implement similar practices in Bihar.
He said the state has strong potential for cooperative farming because of shrinking landholdings. “Earlier, farmers owned 100, 150 or even 200 acres. Now the land has been divided into much smaller parcels. We are exploring the possibilities of cooperative farming in Bihar,” he said.
The minister was accompanied by Cooperative Department Secretary Dharmendra Singh, Registrar of Cooperative Societies Rajnish Kumar Singh, Additional Registrar Ram Naresh Pandey and other officials.
Mr. Kumar said the cooperative model has the potential to create employment, and the department is examining ways to expand job opportunities through such societies.
Referring to Gaya’s well-known tilkut trade, he noted that many firms are involved in producing the sweet. However, sesame seeds used in tilkut are not grown in Bihar and are brought from states such as Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
“After discussions with farmers, we will explore whether sesame can be cultivated in the Magadh region through cooperative farming,” he said.
