Private investment in Agriculture key to double farmers’ income: Parshottam Rupala

Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said on Friday that the Prime Minister's ambitious goal of doubling farmers' incomes by 2022 can be met by private sector investments and involvement in agriculture.

"Farmers would only be interested in growing maize if it is lucrative. Maize must be projected as a surplus crop "Rupala made the remarks while speaking at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry's 7th India Maize Summit 2021. (FICCI).

Rupala emphasized the importance of hedging and the need for it to be incorporated into agricultural policies. He also promised that the minimum support price (MSP) for maize will be met. Amrendra Pratap Singh, Bihar's Agriculture Minister, has urged entrepreneurs to invest in the state's agriculture and ago-processing sectors.

"Investors and developers should be assured that the Bihar government will work with them completely. We want maize to be used wisely in Bihar, and industry has a significant role to play in this "Added he. Chairman T R Kesavan, FICCI National Agriculture Committee and Group President, stated that maize has the ability to generate higher income for farmers while also providing gainful jobs.

"Maize is also a commodity that has the potential to double the income of a farmer. Consumption of maize in India has grown at a CAGR of 5.6 percent over the last decade, though demand has grown at just 2.9 percent. Given the increasing demand for maize, a strong road map for this sector is urgently needed "He went on to say. Agriculture has been and continues to be a primary priority field for the FICCI, according to Secretary General Dilip Chenoy.

"We have been working hard for the past few years to recommend core reform proposals to the government in order to make Indian agriculture more globally competitive. FICCI will collaborate with the government to improve the current reforms aimed at assisting farmers "he added.