Govt committed to empowering small farmers, says PM
By TIOL News Service
NEW DELHI, MAR 01, 2021: PRIME Minister Mr Narendra Modi on Monday outlined the government's vision of empowering small farmers even as they continued protesting against the three farm laws.
Addressing a webinar on effective implementation of Budget 2021-22 provisions regarding the agricultural sector, Mr Modi reiterated that the government was working for small and medium-level farmers since without them "India cannot grow."
"There are about 12 crore small farmers and strengthening them, empowering them will will greatly help in ridding Indian agriculture of many problems," said the PM.
Listing the steps taken for the sector in the budget, Mr Modi said the government has increased the agriculture credit target to Rs. 16,50,000 crore, increased the rural infrastructure fund to Rs. 40,000 crore, doubled the allocation for micro-irrigation, expanding the scope of Operation Green Scheme to 22 perishable products and linking 1,000 more mandis to e-NAM.
He also took a dig at the previous government for not connecting the agriculture sector to the global market and bringing about a post-harvest revolution.
"Today, it is the need of the hour that the farmer's produce in the country gets more and more options in the market. The country is experiencing the loss it has incurred from limiting the farmers only to the produce," the PM said.
"The India of 21st century needs post-harvest revolution or food processing revolution and value addition amid the ever-increasing agricultural production. It would have been very good for the country if this work would have been done two-three decades ago," he added
Endorsing the private sector's involvement, the Prime Minister said, "Till now mostly the public sector has contributed towards Research and Development (R&D) in farm sector. Now the time has come to increase private sector participation in it."
The Prime Minister also gave a call to make concerted efforts in the farming sector and to find comprehensive technological solutions from irrigation to sowing, till harvesting and selling the produce.