Ranchi, Nov 5: The Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperative Department of Jharkhand organized the state-level ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ cum Rabi Workshop 2026 at the Animal Husbandry Building in Hesag, Ranchi, on Thursday. The event brought together senior department officials, district agricultural leadership, and leading agricultural scientists to outline strategies for boosting crop productivity while safeguarding soil vitality across the state.
Addressing the gathering, Agriculture Secretary Abu Bakr Siddiqui called upon district-level officials to demonstrate full commitment in bringing tangible economic improvements to farmers’ lives. He urged officers to step out of their administrative offices and directly visit villages and farmlands to engage with local farmers, resolve their grievances, and ensure seamless delivery of government schemes and subsidies.
“The state government’s top priority is the prosperity and economic empowerment of farmers,” Secretary Siddiqui said, emphasizing that field officers serve as the crucial link between policy formulation and ground-level implementation.
Detailing the twin agenda of the event, Siddiqui explained that while the annual Rabi Workshop regularly addresses core metrics such as crop productivity, cropping intensity, irrigation, and market linkages, this year’s convention placed special focus on soil health restoration under the Khet Bachao Abhiyan. Key priorities include preserving land fertility, bringing unused fallow lands into active cultivation, ensuring the safe and restricted use of chemical fertilizers, and eliminating operational bottlenecks in agricultural production.
To improve water management, the Agriculture Secretary directed district authorities to construct updated, comprehensive databases covering all local irrigation infrastructure, including ponds, reservoirs, and canals, ensuring maximum operational utilization for seasonal crops. He also stressed building robust market linkages to secure fair pricing for regional produce alongside expanding crop coverage.
Agriculture Director Vidyanand Sharma Pankaj urged field staff to maximize the cultivation of fallow lands to enhance total state yield. He cautioned against over-reliance on chemical fertilizers, advocating for balanced nutrient management to maintain long-term soil sustainability, and called on attendees to actively leverage the expert technical sessions.
Vice Chancellor of Birsa Agricultural University, S. C. Dubey, highlighted land conservation as fundamental to sustainable yield growth. He outlined long-term strategies for preserving soil health, noting that boosting overall farm income requires equal emphasis on productivity and resource conservation.
The workshop featured specialized technical sessions addressed by Soil Director Vikas Kumar, Committee Director Ramashankar Prasad, and Dairy Director Sanjeev Kumar. The event was attended by senior departmental officials, District Agriculture Officers from all districts, and agricultural scientists from across the region.
