Union minister Arun Jaitley today suggested a uniform set of policies for the agriculture sector across the country so that farmers benefit the most and their income doubles.
Applauding NABARD’s initiatives in promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in line with Centre’s call for doubling farmers’ income by 2022, Union Minister Arun Jaitley expressed optimism that the apex development bank would achieve the milestone of promoting 5000 FPOs in the next couple of years. Speaking of the reduction in farm size over the years, the Minister recalled that under the Union Budget 2018, NABARD was mandated with the task of setting up FPOs. Noting that small farms are no longer sufficiently remunerative, the Minister said that small and marginal farmers will benefit from economies of scale when they become a part of FPOs, which provide support in terms of information and infrastructure. Jaitley was addressing the 37thFoundation Day commemoration seminar on “Collectivisation and Market Linkages: Farmer Producer Organisations” held in Mumbai today, via video-conferencing.
Noting that India has now overtaken France to become the sixth largest economic power of the world, the Minister said that the rate at which we are progressing makes it likely that we reach the fifth position next year. Jaitley opined that while the world now acknowledges India as the fastest growing large economy, our true measure of development will be when we are able to remove poverty from the nation. He said that the growth of agriculture will play an important role in realizing this goal.
Minister said that around 14 lakh crore rupees has been allocated towards the agriculture sector in Union Budget 2018. He said that this will be good for the national economy. He said that these initiatives will eventually result in a change in lifestyle and will enable those living in India’s villages to increase their income on their own. He also called for a change in mindset, wherein rural sector investment is given high priority in the future as well.
