PM interacts with farmers through video bridge

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20, 2018, interacted with farmers across the country through video bridge. Over 2 lakh Common Service Centres (CSC) and 600 Krishim Vigyan Kendras (KVK) were connected through the video dialogue. This is the seventh interaction in the series by the Prime Minister through video conference with beneficiaries of various Government schemes.

Expressing his happiness for interacting with farmers from over 600 districts, the Prime Minister said that farmers are the ‘Annadatas’ (food providers) of our nation. He said that the entire credit for nation’s food security should go to the farmers. PM Modi’s interaction with the farmers covered wide range of agricultural and allied sectors like Organic Farming, Blue Revolution, Animal Husbandry, Horticulture, Floriculture etc.

Outlining his vision for farmers’ overall welfare  in the country, the Prime Minister said that government is working towards doubling the farmer’s income by 2022 and to provide them maximum price of their produce. He added that the effort is to ensure that farmers receive help during all stages of farming from preparation of crops to its sales.

The PM emphasised that the Government is keen on ensuring minimal cost of raw material, providing fair value for the produce, stopping wastage of the produce and ensuring alternate sources of income for the farmers. He said that the Government is committed that farmers should feel that from ‘Beej Se Bazaar’ (Seed to Market), how various initiatives helped them improve traditional farming, according to a PIB release.

Talking about the transformation of the farming sector, PM Modi said that the agriculture sector has developed rapidly in the last 48 months. He added that there has been record production of milk, fruits and vegetables in the country during the period.
The Government has also almost doubled the budget provision for agricultural sector (2014-2019) to Rs 2,12,000crore compared to Rs 1,21,000 during the five years of the previous government. Similarly, food grain production has increased to more than 279 million tonnes in 2017-2018 compared to average of 255 million tonnes during 2010-2014. The period also saw 26 % increase in fish farming due to Blue Revolution and 24% increase in Animal Husbandry and milk production, the PM said.
Interacting with the famers, the Prime Minister said that to ensure their overall welfare, the government has provided Soil Health Cards, credit through Kisan Credit Cards, quality fertilisers through the provision of Neem coated Urea, crop insurance through Fasal BimaYojana and irrigation through Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana. Under the PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana , about 100 irrigation projects are being completed across the country today and around 29 lakh hectare land has been brought under irrigation.
The Government also started the e-NAM, an online platform, enabling farmers to sell their produce at the right price. In the past four years, more than 585 regulated wholesale markets have been brought under e-NAM. The Government has also brought  nearly 22 lakh hectare land under organic farming compared to just 7 lakh hectare in 2013-2014. The Government also plans to promote North-East as the hub of Organic Farming.
During the interaction, Prime Minister expressed delight in the collective strength displayed by the farmers through the formation of Farmer Producer Group (FPG) and Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO)  enabling them to get agricultural inputs at  low cost and marketing their produce effectively.  In the past 4 years, 517 Farmer Producer Organizations have been created and income tax exemption has been granted to Farmer Producer Companies to encourage cooperatives amongst farmers.
Interacting with the Prime Minister, beneficiaries of various agricultural schemes explained how various government schemes helped improve production. They also highlighted the importance of Soil Health Card and shared their experiences of cooperative movement.