Need To Put In Place A ‘Grow In India’ Programme To Transform The Socio-Economic Fabric Of Our Agricultural Sector: Vice President

National Seminar On ‘Public Investment And Subsidies On Agricultural Inputs and Upliftment Of Agrarian Economy’

Hyderabad (PIB-GR-TYP-BIN): The Vice President, Mr. M. Hamid Ansari has said that we need to put in place a “Grow in India” programme to transform the socio-economic fabric of our agricultural sector. He was delivering, here today, the keynote address at the National Seminar on ‘Public Investment and Subsidies on Agricultural Inputs and the Upliftment of Agrarian Economy’, organized by the All India Kisan Sabha which was attended by farmers from all over the country.

The Vice President said that the government needs to take bold steps to translate the good intentions into action to tackle the deficiencies in farming. This would, however, require a strong political will and the need to develop a wide political consensus, he added. The Vice President further said that we need a social corrective along with the economic correctives to redress these challenges in development of rural sector. Mere infusion of funds might not be enough unless the underlying social gaps and divisions remain in place, he added.

The Vice President said that the centrality of Agriculture in the socio-economic fabric of India is self- evident and almost half of the workforce in India still remains dependent on agriculture. He said that the issue of farmer’s suicides is certainly a complex one but it brings into sharp focus the stresses that the agricultural sector in India is now subject to. He further said that there are indications that the Green Revolution benefits have plateaued.

The Vice President observed that small farms are weak in terms of generating adequate income and sustaining livelihood. Their participation in agricultural market remains low due to a range of constraints such as low volumes, high transaction costs, lack of markets and information access, he added.

The Vice President said that the enhanced public expenditure in agriculture – in form of increased investments, rather than un-targeted subsidies – is required to bring about technical change in agriculture, and higher agricultural growth.

(Source: PIB/GR/TYP/BIN/USPA/WN/IAIJ)