IT to help Indian farmers: minister

Friday, 11 October 2002, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: Indian farmers will be able to access all farm inputs through an IT-enabled information centre equipped with a plant disease diagnostic centre. The Agricultural Technology Information Centre (ATIC) of Indian Agriculture Research Institute would provide a single-window for providing products, services and technologies to the agriculturists, Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh said here Thursday. The centre would enable agriculturists' access to good seeds, saplings, advisory services, soil and water testing facilities and bio-fertilizer. "The centre also has a plant clinic to facilitate farmers on plant disease and pest diagnosis and control at district levels," said Singh. Urging farmers to improve productivity by diversifying from traditional crops to horticulture, Singh said there is an increasing demand for vegetables and other products besides cereals. ATIC has a set up a help line telephone no. (011) 5724670 to provide farmers ready access to information, the minister said.
Source: IANS