Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar interacted with farmers across the country, who were present in Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in towns and cities in various states across India. The occasion was the launch of the “Kisan Bhagidari, Prathmikta Hamari” Campaign which is being observed under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav from 25th to 30th April.
Lakhs of farmers, many MPs and other public representatives and scientists participated through fairs in 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras and other agricultural institutions across the country.
The purpose of the interaction was to make farmers aware of flagship schemes of the Government of India and to assess the achievements and benefits that the farmers are gaining at the grassroots.
The Minister told farmers that they should be willing to experiment and change with the times, they should be willing to use new varieties of seeds, test the quality of their soil, join Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and utilize technology including drones.
Farmers should also be willing to come under the protective shield of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). On Natural Farming the Minister stated that it is being promoted and ICAR is including it in the syllabus, said Tomar.
Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Chaudhary said that during the interaction he was happy to note that some farmers have more than doubled their income in recent times.
As part of “Kisan Bhagidari Prathmikta Hamari” Krishi Mela at each KVK was organised today in association with ATMA. Awareness programmes on Organic Farming, Natural Farming, Startups, APMCs, e-NAM, FPOs were also organised. Seminars, workshops on horticulture activities were also conducted.
Union Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Director General of ICAR Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra expressed their views during the inaugural session. Joint Secretary Shri Samuel Praveen Kumar conducted the proceedings. Joint Secretary Ritesh Chauhan proposed a vote of thanks. Various central ministries are involved in this campaign.