Synergy among stakeholders could help realize doubling farmers income by 2022

A one-day workshop aimed at eliciting ideas for achieving the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat  was organized by the Department of Food and Public Distribution, (DoFPD) under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution on July 30, 2020 in New Delhi.

The recent amendments in Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and enactment of The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Service Ordinance, 2020 were discussed.

This was set within the changed context of liberalisation of regulatory environment for farmers, lifting of restrictions on inter and intra state trade in agriculture produce and empowering of farmers to engage directly with processors, aggregators, wholesalers, retailers, exporters.

Various suggestions emerged from the workshop like mandatory registration of warehouses with WDRA, foundation of aggregate platforms for agro-commodities trading, setting up of an Agricultural Council on the lines of GST council for dispute resolution, investment on cold storage and mechanised transportation, farm gate logistics, etc. The Secretary DFPD concluded that suggestions that emerged from the workshop would become actionable within a time period of three months.