Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said traders and processors must ensure that farmers get the maximum share of profit in the agricultural value chain. The Minister was speaking at the ‘Expansion of Horticulture Value Chain in India Event’ organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare at VAMNICOM in Pune.
“There is one cause for concern we all should be worried about. Farmers sow and cultivate. There are traders who sell the produce and ( also) there are processors who process the produce. Traders and processors must keep in mind that maximum money ( in the trade) must go to farmers. In the current scenario, hardly 35 per cent of the share (of profit) in the value chain goes to farmers. This share must increase and farmers must prosper and only then the next generation will come into farming,” said Tomar.
He said it is the need of the hour that the agriculture sector becomes the priority sector. “Agri and rural economy is India’s strength. These economies can help India to face any economic challenge. This has been proven during the recession and also during Covid-19. The new generation must get attracted to farming and employment opportunities must be created in rural areas” said Tomar.
Tomar inaugurated the exhibition and felicitated several farmers, FPOs, Agri Start-ups, entrepreneurs, bankers etc. for their contribution to the field of horticulture.
Agriculture secretary Manoj Ahuja spoke at the event about the horticulture sector’s current challenges. He lauded the progress made in the production scenario but highlighted the import dependency for major horticulture crops and suggested steps to curb the same. He shed light on some forward-looking initiatives in the sector, such as the formation and promotion of agri start-ups, new cultivation techniques such as hydroponics and aeroponics, and the stable provision of quality planting material for various crucial crops.