Small farmers are the backbone of India’s economy, constituting 85% of the farming community. However, they often face challenges such as lack of private investment. In this context, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has discussed a few points to empower small farmers and boost India’s GDP.
Overview:
Recently, the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, stated that India’s GDP can be boosted by empowering small farmers. The Central Government has undertaken an ambitious program to form 10,000 Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) to boost the economic capacity of small farmers with an outlay of Rs.6,865 crore. By forming Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), small farmers can increase their bargaining power to access new technologies, improved fertilizers, quality seeds and equipment, resulting in increased productivity through cluster farming. Additionally, the Government has allocated Rs.1,50,000 crore of Atma Nirbhar package for farmers, including Rs.15,000 crore for Horticulture, Rs.20,000 crore for Fisheries, Rs.4,000 crore for Herbal Agriculture, and Rs.10,000 crore for Food Processing Industries.
The Agriculture Minister also emphasized that the Modi Government has disbursed a total of Rs. 20 lakh crore in short-term loans over the last nine years to liberate small farmers from the grasp of moneylenders. New innovations in farming, application of new technologies and the increase in production of food grains have enhanced productivity. The previous year witnessed the highest Agri exports worth Rs. 4 lakh crore, which is unprecedented since Independence.
Agriculture plays a significant role in India’s economy and the sector provides employment in large numbers. With the hard work of farmers and research of scientists, India can meet the needs of the country as well as the world. The government is working on a mission mode to promote natural farming, which is cow-based farming, as emphasized by the Prime Minister. Furthermore, 2023 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Millets (Shree Anna) on the initiative of Prime Minister Modi. An important global event on Shree Anna, with the Prime Minister as the chief guest, took place in Delhi on March 18, 2023.
The information above can be distilled into the following key points:
- Empowering small farmers can boost India’s GDP.
- Small farmers face challenges due to lack of private investment.
- The Government has undertaken an ambitious program to form 10,000 Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) to boost the economic capacity of small farmers with an outlay of Rs.6,865 crore.
- The Government has allocated Rs.1,50,000 crore of Atma Nirbhar package for farmers, including Rs.15,000 crore for Horticulture, Rs.20,000 crore for Fisheries, Rs.4,000 crore for Herbal Agriculture and Rs.10,000 crore for Food Processing Industries.
- Small farmers have been provided a total amount of Rs. 20 lakh crore as short-term loans by the Modi government in the last nine years to liberate them from the burden of moneylenders.
- Agriculture plays a significant role in India’s economy and provides employment in large numbers.
- 2023 has been declared as the International Year of Millets (Shree Anna) on the initiative of Prime Minister Modi.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, small farmers can be the heroes of India, and empowering them can boost India’s GDP. The Indian Government has taken significant steps to boost the economic capacity of small farmers by forming FPOs, allocating funds for various sectors, providing short-term loans and promoting Natural Farming. Agriculture plays a crucial role in India’s economy and with the right support, small farmers can continue to provide food for the country and the world while creating employment opportunities.
