Cow conservation to be made part of agricultural syllabus: Sanjeev Baliyan

LUCKNOW: The Centre will change the syllabus for agricultural studies to include cow conservation, Union minister of state for agriculture Sanjeev Baliyan said here on Saturday.

Baliyan, who was in the Uttar Pra desh capital to inau gurate a two-day workshop on devel oping model villag es, rued never being taught r cow conservation and use of s local methods to improve agriculture while he was a student at a veterinary institute. “The situation is such that an agriculture scientist rarely goes to the field for experiments, while the farmer is never able to come out of the field,“ he added.

Putting forth his argument, he said “the medicinal values of cow urine are known to everyone now“.

Later, Baliyan told TOI that indigenous methods of cow conservation and use of organic fertilizers will be made a part of the revised agricultural studies syllabus. He said the government aims to ensure that every village in India has cows of the Gir and Sahiwaal breeds in the next 10 years, as they produce more milk than other breeds.

“The irony is that we came to know about the importance of Indian breeds Gir and Sahiwal only when Brazil told us that they yield more milk than any other breed,“ he added.

“Unfortunately , the country had stopped thinking beyond cross-breeding which began in the early 60s,“ he said.

Baliyan added that the Union agriculture ministry will reward states that have utilised funds under various projects by sending more funds, the prize sum drawn from the budget of states that have failed to use their funds.