Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parshottam Rupala said on Friday that the Prime Minister's ambitious target of doubling farmers' incomes by 2022 can be achieved through private sector investments and participation in agriculture.
"Farmers will be interested in the cultivation of maize only if it is profitable. We must project maize as a surplus crop," said Rupala while addressing the 7th India Maize Summit 2021 orgsed here by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Rupala highlighted the importance of hedging and the need to include it in agricultural policies. He also gave assurance for minimum support price (MSP) in maize.
Bihar's Agriculture Minister Amrendra Pratap Singh urged entrepreneurs to invest in agriculture and ago- processing sector in the state.
"Investors and entrepreneurs can be rest assured they will get full cooperation from the Bihar government. We want maize to be used enterprisingly in Bihar and industry has a key role to play in it," he added.
FICCI National Agriculture Committee and Group President, Chairman T R Kesavan said that having realised the potential of maize in generating better income for farmers while providing gainful employment.
"Maize also qualifies as a potential crop for doubling farmer's income. Over the last decade, maize consumption in India grew at a CAGR of 5.6 per cent while production grew at just about 2.9 per cent. Looking at the rising demand for maize, there is an imminent need to establish a clear road map for this sector," he added.
FICCI Secretary General Dilip Chenoy said that agriculture has been and remains a key focus area for the industry body.
"During the past few years, we have been constantly striving to propose key reform measures to the government for making Indian agriculture globally competitive. FICCI will work with the government towards strengthening the ongoing changes to help farmers," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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