New Delhi: Terming the seven-point agenda programme for the agriculture sector, started by the government, a step in right direction, the largest fertiliser company in the country working for the betterment of farmers, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative (IFFCO) today said loan waiver is not a right solution to the farmers problem,
Talking to senior journalists at the UNI headquarters, IFFCO Managing Director Uday Shankar Awasthi said, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has prepared and issued a seven-point agenda in consultation with Father of Green Revolution Dr M S Swaminathan for doubling farmers income by 2022, This seven-point agenda may help in solving the problem of farmers, He said, By implementing per drop more crop, reducing agricultural input costs, foodgrain storage, food processing, e-agriculture bazaar, crop insurance scheme, horticulture, comprehensive agriculture, animal husbandry, bee farming and poultry farming; farmers’ income may be increased substantially,
Terming farmers loan waiver scheme as a dangerous step, Dr Awasthi said this was not the permanent and right solution as it may become more harmful in the future. In this scheme, some farmers get loan waiver but a lot more do not get it with a narrow margin and feel neglected and depressed. This affects their mindsets which creates social problems, he added,
Replying to a question why youths are not adopting or willing to adopt agriculture as a profession, Dr Awasthi said agriculture has been the way of life in our country,
He strongly advocated making agriculture as a part of curriculum in schools so that the children get to know more about agriculture and can develop interest in it, Dr Awasthi was of the opinion that use of technology in the agriculture sector is a must, There is a need to promote the mix of modern and traditional way of farming, he said,
The IFFCO chief said farmers in hilly areas should focus on horticulture, They should give priority to fruits and vegetables as the climate in those areas was more suitable to it in comparison to other traditional crops,
Emphasising on training of scientific farming to farmers, he said that IFFCO is engaged in it, IFFCO has trained more than 3 crore farmers, It provides soil testing free of cost to farmers at the IFFCO centers, Trained farmers use fertilizers and pesticides in a balanced way, which reduces the cost input but enhances the productivity, he said.
