Chouhan Warns Stringent Action In ‘Fake’ Fertilizers, Pesticides Cases
The Union minister said that climate change is a concern for the agriculture sector and urged all stakeholders to think about how the agriculture sector may progress in the face of climate change.
Mumbai: Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday announced that the Union Government is planning to enact a law by which stringent action will be taken against any company or individual who is caught making fake fertilizers or pesticides and supplying those to farmers.
“Farmers need timely advice from scientists on how to save their produce from hazards like high temperature, unseasonal rains and proper use of fertilizers and pesticides. The Union Government is planning to enact a law by which stringent action will be taken against any company or person who is caught making fake fertilizers or pesticides and supplying those to farmers. The scientists may guide the farmers as per the needs of their fields and produces,” Chouhan said while addressing the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan at Narayangaon in Pune.
The Union minister said that climate change is a concern for the agriculture sector and urged all stakeholders to think about how the agriculture sector may progress in the face of climate change.
Underscoring the aims of Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, Chouhan stated that a Viksit Bharat cannot be brought about without development in the agriculture sector and prosperity of farmers. Hence, the agricultural sector has to be developed, he said.
The minister urged the Agriculture Department scientists to go to the fields and interact with farmers to understand their problems. “There are 16,000 agriculture scientists in the country who are working towards the development of the sector. The scientists cannot just work in laboratories, while farmers toil in the fields. Hence, scientists and farmers have to interact for benefits of the sector,” he added.
Providing details on the new Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for TOP crops (Tomato, Onion, Potato), the Union Minister said that if farmers producing potato, onion and tomato go to another state where they are getting higher price for their produce as compared to their area, then in such a situation the Central Government will bear the operational cost of transportation.
The MIS is undertaken upon request from State or Union Territory Governments to ensure remunerative prices to farmers and also soften the prices of TOP crops for consumers in the market.
Chouhan interacted with farmers at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Narayangaon. He also visited Narayangaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) and Tomato Market, local farm fields and a cold storage facility along with agricultural scientists, where he interacted with local farmers growing tomatoes and other farm products.