Agriculture at the heart of India’s economic policy, says PM Modi | Agriculture

He also mentioned that this year’s Budget has given a strong focus on sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture and creating a complete ecosystem to support Indian farmers.

Underlining the government’s focus on research and development related to climate-resilient crops, the prime minister said that nearly nineteen hundred new climate-resilient varieties have been introduced to farmers in the last 10 years. He cited examples of rice varieties in India that require 25 per cent less water than traditional varieties and the emergence of black rice as a superfood.

“Black rice from Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya is the preferred choice due to its medicinal value,” he said, adding that India is equally keen to share its experience with the international community.

The Prime Minister also acknowledged the seriousness of the food challenge, as well as water scarcity and climate change. He introduced Shri Anna, Millet as a solution, considering the quality of superfoods “minimum water and maximum production”.

Prime Minister Modi expressed India’s willingness to share its millet stocks with the world and mentioned that last year was celebrated as the International Year of Millet.

Mentioning initiatives to link agriculture with modern technology, the Prime Minister mentioned the Soil Health Card, solar farms to enable farmers to become energy suppliers, digital farming marketplace i.e. e-Nam, Kisan Credit Card and PM Fasal Bima Yojana.

He also touched upon the issue of formalisation of agriculture and allied sectors, from traditional farmers to agri-startups, from organic farming to agri-tourism and farm to fork. He informed that 90 lakh hectares of land have been brought under micro-irrigation in the last 10 years. He added that India is fast moving towards the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending, which benefits both agriculture and the environment.

Throwing light on the use of digital technology in the agriculture sector in India, the Prime Minister mentioned the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi, through which money is transferred to the bank accounts of 100 million farmers at the click of a button, and the Digital Public Infrastructure for Digital Crop Research, which provides real-time information to farmers and enables them to take data-driven decisions.

He stressed that millions of farmers will benefit from this initiative and improve their economic situation.

He also touched upon the large-scale land digitisation campaign, under which farmers will be given a digital identification number for their land, as well as the promotion of drones in agriculture, under which ‘drone didi’ will be trained in operating drones.

Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s commitment to global prosperity as ‘Vishwa Bandhu’. He recalled India’s vision for global prosperity and mentioned various mantras put forward by India at various fora including ‘One Earth, One Family and One Future’, ‘Mission LiFE’ and ‘One Earth, One Health’.

Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India does not treat the health of humans, plants and animals in an isolated manner.

“The challenges facing sustainable agriculture and food systems can only be addressed through a holistic approach of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’,” said the Prime Minister.

He added that these steps will not only benefit Indian farmers but also strengthen global food security. The prime minister noted the presence of a large number of young people and expressed confidence that in the next five days, we will see ways to connect the world with sustainable agri-food systems. “We will learn from each other and learn from each other,” he concluded.

The Triennial Conference, organized by the International Association of Agricultural Economists, will be held from 2 to 7 August 2024. The theme of this year’s conference is “Transformation towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems”.

First published: August 3, 2024 | 14:03 IST