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A day after appealing state agriculture ministers to work for making the country self sufficient in pulses, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday asked agriculture scientists to prepare a roadmap for the agriculture sector so that the country does not have to import pulses and oilseeds and small farmers are able to earn their livelihood properly.
Addressing the alumni meet of Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, Chouhan appealed to the scientific community to work in the interest of small and marginal farmers and bring a revolution in Indian agriculture.
“As about 86 per cent of the farmers in the country are small and marginal farmers (having less than 2 hectares of land), we have to make the model of farming such that farmers can earn their livelihood properly even in farming up to one hectare,” he said.
Further he said, “let us together make a roadmap on which not only the welfare of Indian agriculture and farmers can be achieved, but let us make India the food basket of the world.”
Stressing on the need to make India self-reliant in pulses and oilseeds, he said, “adoption of technological advancement is absolutely necessary to increase the income of our farmers and to meet the changing scenario. We have to ensure that our agricultural policy and research bring a positive change in the lives of small and marginal farmers.”
He appealed agriculture scientists to connect farmers with science and said that the Krishi Vigyan Kendra will be very useful to achieve the objective.
Speaking at the event, R S Paroda, a former Director General of ICAR said that the need of the hour is to upgrade Indian agriculture with the help of innovation and scientific research. He suggested trial and implementation of new technologies in collaboration with farmers, which will increase yield and also their income.
Ramesh Chand, NITI Aayog Member, emphasized that it is imperative to understand the real problems of farmers and find solutions in policy making. Himanshu Pathak, ICAR’s DG, stressed on the need for collective efforts for advancement in the agriculture sector.
He said that it is only through collaboration between the government, scientific community and farmers that Indian agriculture can reach new heights.
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