Centre Will Soon Announce Policy on ‘Good Agriculture Practice’

Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said that the central government is working on 'Good Agriculture Practice' to benefit the Indian agriculture sector. Speaking at a FICCI event on the 'Scope of Public-Private Partnerships in Agriculture,' Ahuja stated that there is a global concern about having sustainable agriculture and good agricultural practises, as well as environmental concerns.

"The government has not yet issued a policy in this area, but we want to develop a policy on 'Good Agriculture Practice.'" We'd have a policy in place, and we'd collaborate with the industry on it," he added.

Micro-irrigation is a priority for the government, according to Ahuja. "We will devise a model to provide easy financing as well as subsidies in order to create a simple system for farmers." "We must address these concerns," he emphasized.

The secretary went on to say that it is critical for farmers to have access to simple solutions to their problems via digital platforms. We believe in the farmer's ability, and we can help them by providing non-financial assistance in the form of IT solutions, he added.

"It would be advantageous for farmers if we could provide these technology interventions through a common open source," Ahuja said. While responding to industry concerns, Ahuja stated that the government is also concerned about the quality of agricultural inputs and that steps must be taken to further improve it. 

We can establish NABL accredited labs through PPP or viable gap funding, as well as robust IT systems for sampling and testing of various seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to assist farmers, he said.

According to Vijaya Lakshmi Nadendla, Joint Secretary Marketing, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and MD of SFAC, the four important I's for an agri-policy framework are inputs, infrastructure, investment, and institutions.

While highlighting the benefits of PPP, Samuel Praveen Kumar, Joint Secretary (Extension, AIF, and I&PS), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare stated that there are emerging technologies such as ICT, AI, IoT, and others that are very disruptive and can make farming more predictive.

Meanwhile, FICCI Task Force on FPOs Chairman Pravesh Sharma stated, "We must recognize this, especially in India, where agriculture is almost entirely owned by private individuals. The policy framework created by the government has a significant impact on how investments flow into agriculture, markets deliver, and technology routes."

TR Kesavan, Chairman of the FICCI National Agriculture Committee and Group President of TAFE Ltd, stated that if the government and the private sector work together, India is capable of doing much more in the agriculture sector.