Says all-out efforts are being made to boost farm out-put & rural incomes, and achieve the targeted 4% annual growth rateNew Delhi, November 26:
The ambitious ‘Make in India’ scheme of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, got a leg-up in the agriculture sector with the launch of a coffee table book titled, “Agri-Mechanization for Make in India.”
The book chronicles India’s progress in mechanization of the country’s agriculture sector, development of farm technology and vast potential for further investment in this sector.
Releasing the coffee table book here today at FICCI Federation House, Mr Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, highlighted the efforts being made my his ministry to boost agriculture output and contribute to rising rural incomes.
The book has been produced by the Social Responsibility Council (SRC) in coordination with The Department of Agricultural & Co-operation, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India.
Explaining the purpose behind launching of the book, the SRC Founder, Director, Mr Arun Khurana, said, “India is mainly an agriculture country and farm sector can play a significant role in making the Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ initiative a major success.”
SRC is a Delhi-based non-profit organization established to create awareness about social responsibility, and contribute in the country’s progress. The Council also runs certificate and diploma courses in various disciplines, including professional agriculture management.
Several senior policy makers and major players in the farm machinery industry attended the function.
Pointing out that “agriculture and its allied sectors are unquestionably the largest livelihood providers in India,” the minister said, “Our population is expected to be 1.4 billion by 2020. The increasing population, coupled with growing income will generate increased demand for food grains and non-food grain crops. Therefore, Indian agriculture has to achieve a higher growth rate targeted at 4% per annum on a regular basis.
Mr Singh said “In recent years much emphasis has been given by my Ministry on commercializing Indian agriculture and it is working on strategies to achieve the aforesaid 4% annual growth rate. These include focus on potential areas, regionally-differentiated strategies, crop diversification and the scientific management of natural resources.”
Experiences from other developing countries have shown that investment in agricultural mechanization enables farmers to intensify production and improve their quality of life as well as contributing to national and local prosperity.
“The new initiatives taken by the Ministry under the guidance of our Hon’ble PM Modi Ji in the form of National Food Security Mission and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana of Agriculture will rejuvenate this sector,” the Cabinet Minister stressed.