The union minister also stressed the need to bring private investment and the latest technology in the field of farming
Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries, Rural Development, and Panchayat Raj, recently addressed the summit on ‘Agriculture and Food Processing Opportunities in Madhya Pradesh’ organised by the Ministry of Food Processing, in partnership with ASSOCHAM and Invest India through video conference.
Addressing the summit, Union minister, Tomar encouraged entrepreneurs to set up food processing units in the country and assured them that the government will provide all possible help. The union minister also stressed on the need to bring private investment and the latest technology in the field of farming.
Tomar stated that under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, continuous efforts are being made to increase the income of the small farmers. He noted that 86% of farmers in the country are small farmers and, until they are not empowered, the self-sufficiency of villages and growth of the agriculture sector cannot be imagined.
Tomar added that Central Government is making efforts so that small and medium farmers could also cultivate expensive crops, and get the benefit of agro-technology to produce crops of global quality standards.
He further stated that the Central Government is setting up ten thousand new Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the country with estimated spending of 6865 crore rupees. Farmers can get the benefit of reduced costs, better market and integrated irrigation facility by joining FPOs. FPOs will be given a 3 percent rebate in interest for loans up to Rs 2 crore taken for the purpose of agriculture.
Talking about the opportunities in Madhya Pradesh, Tomar has said that there is immense potential in the field of food processing in the Gwalior-Chambal region and this could improve the economic condition of small farmers of the region.
