Wooing farmers ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for a second green revolution in the eastern states, which have ade
Wooing farmers ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for a second green revolution in the eastern states, which have adequate water and fertile land, through adoption of modern technologies.
He claimed that ever since the NDA government came to power it has taken several initiatives to improve agricultural growth, including the recently announced Krishi Bima Yojana and issuing of soil health cards to farmers.
With two consecutive droughts hitting agricultural output hard, he asked farmers to conserve water and focus on crop diversification, and also go in for allied activities like dairy, poultry and food processing to boost their income.
Mr Modi was speaking to farmers and agricultural scientists after inaugurating the Krishi Unnati Mela in the national capital.
As per the latest government data, the all-India average monthly income of agricultural households during the crop year July 2012-June 2013 was estimated at '6,426.
Putting a premium on water conservation to raise farm productivity and income, Mr Modi said the government has identified 90 stuck irrigation projects which can irrigate 80 lakh hectares. The government is spending '20,000 crore to boost irrigation projects.
Attacking the Opposition parties for claiming that all projects and programmes started when they were in power, the Prime Minister said, “You would be surprised to know that as many as 90 projects which are full of water, like dams, have been built, but there is no way to provide water to farmers.
“Now, my government is working to provide water from these projects and once these are completed, around 80 lakh hectares will get water. And once water reaches there, you all can think how much that land will give us back.”
The PM also spoke of funds from the MGNREGA programme to be utilised this summer for creation of assets such as ponds to conserve water.
“About MNREGA many discussions take place, but no asset has been created. This government is emphasising. This summer, in every village, one work should be done through MNREGA and that is de-silting of ponds, deepening of ponds and creating new ones. In this Budget, the government has aimed at five lakh ponds,” Mr Modi said.
The Prime Minister asked farmers to continue with their regular farming activity, but also told them to adopt animal husbandry, grow timber and go for value addition and processing.
“Food processing is the best way to increase the farmers’ income,” he suggested.
A significant part of his speech was devoted to micro and drip irrigation as well as liquid fertiliser to reduce the cost of production and raise farmers’ income level. “Water harvesting is of as much importance as water conservation. We do not have the right to waste water. Per drop more crop is how we can do that,” he said.
Emphasising the need to make rural economy vibrant to boost overall economic growth, the Prime Minister said, “If we have to change India, we need to change villages and achieve agriculture growth.”
The big challenge before the country is to encourage farmers to take up modern technologies and take benefit of the schemes being implemented for them, he said, adding the mela is organised to create awareness among thousands of farmers.
In order to survive natural calamities, Mr Modi suggested that farmers should follow a three-pronged approach towards farming to insulate themselves from crop losses. “At present, farmers follow one pillar, that is farming alone. When this pillar falls down due to a hailstorm, their survival is affected. So it is important to have our farming based on three pillars,” he said.
The first one is to continue to regulate farming in one third of the crop area. The second pillar is to grow timber alongside the farms’ boundaries, and the third is to adopt animal husbandry, poultry and bee-keeping, among other activities, the Prime Minister explained.
