Agricultural agenda must move from food security to farmer prosperity: Jagdeep Dhankhar

Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar speaking at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan

The national agricultural agenda must move from food security to farmer prosperity, said Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar in Coimbatore on Sunday.

“Food security was of prime importance and national priority at one point of time, because we had food scarcity. So, our concern was food security. But the time has changed now. We must move from food security to farmer prosperity. The farmer has to be prosperous, and this evolution must originate from institutions such as the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU),” he said in his address on ‘Fostering Agri-Education, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat’ at the university.

Mr. Dhankhar said the change in curriculum should align to make the farmer an entrepreneur. He called for empowering farmers by creating awareness and by informing them that the government cooperative system was very robust.

“For the first time, we have the Cooperation Minister. Cooperatives find a place in our Constitution, and therefore, what we need is farmer traders. We need farmer entrepreneurs. Change that mindset so a farmer transforms himself from producer to a value adder, starting some industry, which is based on produce. The farm produce market is gigantic, and when value is added to the farm produce, industry will thrive,” he said.

“More and more corporates are entering the agronomy. I will urge them to share their profits with the farmer. To connect with the farmer. To give back to the farm sector, the connect must be genuine, lasting,” he said, urging corporates to invest in research and development.

Mr. Dhankhar said agriculture should play a vital role for India to become a $30 trillion economy in 2047. “The income has to grow eightfold. This is achievable. Our last decade of development has shown to the world that India is capable of negotiating a developmental journey, unknown to history in recent times,” he said.

Mr. Dhankhar said: “Lab and land must be together and for this, over 730 Krishi Vigyan Kendras must be vibrant centres of interaction with farmers, to educate farmers.” Applauding the Centre’s initiatives, he said innovative schemes such as the PM Kisan Nidhi Samman were not freebies but measures of doing justice to a sector that was lifeline. “This is a direct transfer to the farmer,” he said.

R.N. Ravi, Governor of Tamil Nadu, and N. Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, State Minister for Human Resources Management, and R. Thamizh Vendan, Registrar and Acting Vice-Chancellor TNAU, were among those present.