Full text of Address of Shri Radha Mohan Singh is as follows:
"Honorable entrepreneurs, educationists, researchers and all the invitees in this Agriculture Trade Summit associated with agriculture and rural enterprises. Today, I am feeling extremely happy to grace this occasion that this platform is jointly being used to deliberate upon various aspects of entrepreneurship development and innovative efforts made in this field of agriculture. I hope that the outcome emerged out after deliberations, debates and discussions during the summit shall result into the joint development of agriculture, rural and entrepreneurs. This kind of event and platform is one of the effective steps for the development of the States in all sectors of agricultural enterprises and to identify the constraints being faced in agri-entrepreneurship and future challenges. Undoubtedly, This forum would provide the opportunity by integrating our agriculture knowledge and create new values and taking effective steps to achieve the targets.
Today, with the entire world, our country is also making various effective efforts in the field of agriculture technology, agriculture trade and enterprise. In view of globalization, the agri-entrepreneurs, scientists and farmers of our country and various departments of Central and State government are making concerted efforts to move forward collaboratively with global fraternity. However, besides formulating a joint strategy, there is a need for discussions, deliberations and coordination to achieve the targets of agriculture development.
Today, our farmers have accepted the challenge of food production in the country and their mindset has been completely changed after green revolution. There is a continuous rise in pressure in agriculture sector due to constraints like increasing population, climate change, change in food habits, high investment, reducing land holdings and market sensitiveness. Today, India’s food security has been strengthened due to significant success in food production and productivity increased in milk production through White Revolution and fish production through Blue Revolution.
Agriculture is being developed more sustainable occupation and profitable by increasing production, entrepreneurship, cooperativeness and crop innovations. According to National Sample Survey, approximately 90 percent farmers possess land holdings less than 2 hectare, out of which 42 percent farmers have taken loans from banks and 26 percent are still dependent upon money lenders. In the present context, due to adverse circumstances such as climate change, increasing cost of inputs, lack of remunerative prices of farm produce, farmers are in distress and rural youths are not taking interest in farming. Farmers are feeling helpless. In this regard, we have introduced new scheme ‘Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture (ARYA)’ so that rural youth may get attracted towards farming to curb rural migration.
Extensive awareness is being created among farmers about agri-business, profitable production systems, new research. programmes & schemes of Agriculture Departments, domestic and global level markets and other stakeholders. Our Government is committed towards dissemination of agricultural technologies. Large numbers of extension workers of State Agriculture and allied departments working at district level are being trained through Krishi Vigyan Kendras(KVKs) on practical aspects of improved technologies and are successfully disseminating technologies to the farmers. In addition to research, we have emphasised on technology development and its overall dissemination at field level. With this, we are moving ahead towards the significant progress in production of pulses, fruits, vegetables, milks, fisheries and eggs.
In line with the far reaching and futuristic guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister for increasing the income of the farmers, we have launched various schemes for agriculture development and in the interest of farmers. Ambitious schemes like ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana’ is being implemented to provide irrigation to every field; ‘Soil Health Card’ to improve soil fertility, ‘Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’ for bringing more area under organic farming; ‘Agri-tech Infrastructure Fund’ and ‘National Agriculture Market’ for providing remunerative prices to farmers. Keeping in view the continuous intensive cultivation of land, which resulted in reduced soil fertility, the ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ has been launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister.
In order to promote Soil Health Management, Government provides assistance to State Governments for setting up Soil Testing Laboratories, Fertilizer Testing Laboratories as well as implementing of organic farming project across the country. Soil Health Cards will be made available to 14 crore farmers during next three years.
The Government is committed to promote Organic Farming which improves soil health and leads to better quality crops. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, a new scheme to develop ogranic clusters and make available chemical free inputs to farmers will be implemented. In the next three years, it is proposed to form 10,000 cluster covering 5 lakh acre area. This scheme is being implemented through the State government.
Government of India is committed to accord high priority to water security. The objective behindPradhan Mantri Krish Sinchai Yojna is “Har Khet Ko Paani’. To achieve synergy of resources, collaboration has been established amongst Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Water Resources and Department of Land Resources to implement Pradhan Mantri Krish Sinchai Yojna (PMKSY)
Cultivation of pulses under NFSM has been started in Jammy & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, UttraKhand and all North-Eastern States.
In the wake of price hike of onions and potatoes in 2014-15, and the Finance Minister’s budget announcement, the Department of Agriculture , Cooperation & Farmers Welfare has launched the Price Stabilization Fund scheme as price control measure to dampen the impact on consumers.
the Department has taken a step to formulate a scheme for implementation for National Agriculture Market through Agri-Tech Infrastructure Fund (AITF) with an allocation of Rs. 200 crore.. ATIF is aimed at implementation of an appropriate common e- market platform to regulate 585 regulated wholesale markets in the states across the country.
Agriculture marketing sector today presents a scenario wherein the market is fragmented not only amongst states but even within states into different market areas each governed by separate Marketing Committee thus entailing requirement of multiple licences for trading, levy of market fee and restrictive marketing practices which hinder both proper market access for farmers and also the development of required infrastructure for handling the produce. To overcome impediments in marketing of agriculture produce, the Ministry has initiated National Agriculture Market scheme.
Indigenous bovine breeds of India are robust and posses the genetic potential and play a crucial role in the national economy. Their population has been declining and their performance is below the potential at present due to the absence of a specific programme on development and conservation of indigenous breeds.
Keeping in view the urgent need to take up a specific programme for the development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds, the “Rashtriya Gokul Mission”, launched for the first time, with a view to conserve and develops indigenous bovine breeds in a focused and scientific manner.
The new Government at the centre has initiated “Blue Revolution” to take forward the fishery sector as it will contribute to the betterment of livehood of fishermen, fisher women and aquaculture fish farmers, besides providing high energy proteins for tackling protein malnutrition, healthy Omega-3 oil supplementation and creation of rural employment through ancillary industries like packaging, transportation, ice manufacturing, processing etc.
Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav invisages involvement agricultural experts of agricultural universities and ICAR institutes for effective and deeper reach of scientific farming to the villages. For this purpose 5, 000 groups of four scientists each will be visiting 25,000 villages in a year duing their holidays or vacations. Each year 25, 000 villages will be added to this list through this scheme.
IARI initiated novel scheme Krishi Dak in 20 districts in which postmen will supply
seeds of improved varieties of crops to the farmers in far-flung areas. Owing to its success and popularity, this scheme is being extended in 100 districts of 14 states with the association of Krishi Vigyan Kendras. This will provide improved seed to farmers at their doorsteps.
As you all know that today’s Agriculture is not only a source of livelihood but leading to job or entrepreneurship development. Today’s farmers can not be self reliant only by using old farm techniques because Agri inputs are costly and in order to use new Agriculture technologies, there is necessity of more investment. That is why, it is necessary that our farmers should use low cost based Agriculture technology to get more crop yield and increase their income, so that the dreams of our Prime minister “ JAI KISAN JAI VIGYAN” can be fulfilled.
Our Government has made concerted efforts for overall development of Agriculture sector. With a view to actualize the welfare sentiment of farmers, the name of Mnistry of Agriculture has now been changed to “Minstry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare” so that ministry should work for Agriculture development as well as farmers welfare.
All these efforts will succeed only when, our entrepreneurs along with farmers and departments . of agriculture of various states promise together for sustainable agriculture development and promotion of entrepreneurship in the rural areas.
In the last, I tender my heartiest greetings for grand success of international Agriculture Summit being organized in the leadership of IIM Ahemedabad for the farmers’ welfare and development."