Pune: The agriculture sector in India contributes 18 percent to the country’s GDP, with its significance particularly highlighted during the Covid pandemic, when it became clear that India’s agriculture sector was stronger than those of many other countries. The central government continues to work diligently to further strengthen this sector. Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, expressed the Modi Government’s unwavering commitment to making India the food basket of the world, leaving no stone unturned to achieve this goal.
Speaking at the Platinum Jubilee Conference of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (AERC) in Pune on Monday, Chouhan emphasised the importance of extending research beyond laboratories and ensuring its application to the farming community. He highlighted that his government is focused on various initiatives to support this objective. Chouhan also remarked on India’s ancient culture and civilisation, noting that the agriculture sector is closely linked to this heritage. He reminded the audience that following the Second World War, it was India that led the global effort to view the world as one family, guiding others in this direction.
He said that this earth is not made only for humans; it is made for all living creatures like insects and moths. Calling to stop the indiscriminate use of pesticides, Chouhan said that it is the need of the hour that we have to move towards natural farming and we have to take this forward with full potentials. “This will add value to our production. The government is continuously working to increase the storage capacity of farmers. Taking a step forward in this direction, the Central Government is working on a new scheme to deliver the farmers’ products to distance places. Under this, the state and central governments are jointly working out plans to enable farmers to transport their products to other states and markets,” he said.
Congratulating all the researchers and students on the occasion of the platinum jubilee of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (AERC), Chouhan said that what have we gained and what have we lost in these 70 years needs to be re-introspected. Emphasizing on further strengthening the technical arrangements in this direction, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that scientists and farmers associated with the agriculture sector should come together and solve their problems. Chouhan said that the Central Government has started a special programme Modern Krishi Choupal on DD Kisan Channel to help farmers. This is a platform where farmers, researchers and scientists will sit together and exchange their views on the problems and new opportunities in the agriculture sector. He said that information related to agriculture sector should not be limited to English language only, it is necessary to be published in different languages of India so that the distance between labs to land can be bridged.
Talking about the launch of river linking project by PM Narendra Modi on December 25, Chouhan said, “Sometimes many parts of the country are experiencing flood and while others parts are seen to have affected by drought-like situations. To deal with such, a special river linking project will soon be launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This scheme will benefit those areas which receive heavy rainfall and those areas which face drought.”
The Agriculture Minister said that we should develop such technology which can irrigate more with less water. Stressing on reducing the cost of production to boost the agriculture sector, Chouhan said, “Last year our government had provided 1.94 metric tonnes of subsidy to farmers. If a farmer needs money immediately, he does not have to go to the money lender for this. Therefore, the government has provided him the facility of Kisan Credit Card to provide him money immediately. Between 2014 and 2024, his government is giving at least double minimum support price on many products, due to which farmers are getting relief on a large scale. We should not depend on imports all the time and should make such policies which can provide more benefits to the farmers,” he said.