Centre committed to make Eastern states granary of the nation: Sharad Pawar

KOLKATA: The Centre is committed to make eastern region the granary of the nation by growing foodgrains in their natural ecology and to their full established potential, Union Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said here today.

"Seeing the performance of the region in the recent years, and the dynamic political and administrative leadership that is totally committed to farmers' welfare, I am confident we can convert the region from a chronic food deficit to food provider to the nation in very quick time," Pawar said.

He was inaugurating the first meeting of the committee of the chief ministers of seven eastern states on the centrally-sponsored programme of 'Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India'.

Pawar said he was looking forward to hearing from the state governments on specific development needs that needed to be addressed under schemes and programmes across different ministries and institutions and were policies needed to be reformed.

"I look forward to solution-oriented constructive suggestions from the state governments for boosting the efforts of agriculture development in the country," he said.

West Bengal Chief Minster Mamata Banerjee and Agriculture minsters of UP, Bihar, Orissa, Chhattigarh, Assam, Jharkhand representing their chief ministers were present at the meeting.