Agriculture is at the centre of economic policymaking, says PM Modi at Global Agri Economists Meet

Pointing out that a similar situation exists in several developing countries in Asia, he said, India’s model of agriculture can be useful to them as well. Giving the example of sustainable farming, the Prime Minister said, “Promoting chemical-free natural farming at a large scale has give us very good results. In this year’s Budget too, a big focus area is sustainable and climate resilient farming.”

Highlighting achievements of the farm sector, which has grown at over 5 per cent a year over the last six years, Modi said the government has taken several initiatives in the last decade to ensure that farming is connected with modern technology. “We are developing a complete ecosystem to support our farmers,” he said.

Observing that the ICAE is taking place in India after 65 years, Modi said India had just got independence when the ICAE conference was last held here. “It was a challenging time for India’s food security and agriculture. Today, India is a food surplus country, it is the largest producer of milk, pulses and spices. the second largest producer of food grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton, sugar, tea, farmed fish…”

Modi said the Global South would surely benefit from India’s experience. “There was a time when India’s food security was a matter of concern for the world. Today, India is engaged in providing solutions for Global Food Security and Global Nutrition Security. Therefore, India’s experience is valuable for discussing topics like ‘Food System Transformation’,” he said.

Elaborating on the support ecosystem for farmers in India, he said, “Today, a farmer can know what to grow with the help of Soil Health Cards. He runs a pump with the help of solar power and also earns from solar farming in wastelands. He can sell his produce through E-Nam, India’s Digital Agriculture Market; he uses Kisan Credit Card. He ensures the safety of his crops through the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. From farmers to agritech startups, from natural farming to Farmstay and Farm-to-Table systems, agriculture and related sectors are continuously getting formalised in India.”

“In the last 10 years alone, we have connected 90 lakh hectares of farming with micro irrigation. Our ethanol blending programme is also benefiting both farming and the environment. We are rapidly moving towards the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol,” Modi said.

Discussing digital initiatives in the agriculture sector, Modi said, “In India, we are making full use of digital technology. Through PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, money is transferred to the bank accounts of 10 crore farmers in 30 seconds with a single click.”

“We are creating digital public infrastructure for digital crop survey. Our farmers will get real-time information and will be able to make data-driven decisions… The government is also running a very big campaign for the digitisation of land. Farmers will also be given a digital identification number for their land. We are also promoting the use of drones in agriculture very rapidly… Whatever these steps are, they will not only benefit the farmers of India, but will also strengthen global food security,” he said.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chauhan, NITI Aayog member Prof Ramesh Chand, Conference President Prof Matin Qaim and Secretary of DARE and DG, ICAR, Dr Himanshu Pathak were present on the occasion.

Chouhan said India’s agricultural growth rate remains the highest in the world, today. “Along with increasing production, India is also concerned about safe production for human body and soil health, so India is now emphasizing on natural farming,” he said.

The ICAE is a triennial conference organised by the International Association of Agricultural Economists. The conference is being held from August 2-7. The theme for this year’s conference is, “Transformation Towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems.” An official statement said, the conference has witnessed the participation of around 1,000 delegates from around 75 countries.