Emphasising “seedha samvad (direct dialogue)” with farmers, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Thursday announced that he would meet farmers and representatives of farm organisations every Tuesday to discuss and solve issues affecting the sector.
Addressing a press conference on decisions and initiatives taken by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare in the first 100 days of the third Narendra Modi-led government, Chouhan said he has held meetings with several state agriculture ministers and their teams in the last few days.
“Now, I am trying to go to the fields as the Agriculture Minister. We are holding meetings in Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs); trying to meet [them] in the fields as well,” Chouhan said.
Stating that agriculture is a state subject, Chouhan said the Centre works and cooperates with the states.
Chouhan further said that Krishi Bhawan, which houses the Agriculture Ministry and several other ministries, is not just for Union ministers and Central officers. Let the state officials also come, and discuss, he added.
So far, meetings with agriculture ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Assam, Meghalaya, and Haryana have already been held, the minister said.
Chouhan said his endeavour is to make farmers’ lives better and keep the country’s food security robust. “Personally, for me, serving farmers is like the worship of God,” he said.
houhan’s remarks assume significance in view of recent farm protests. Farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been protesting at the Shambhu border since the beginning of this year.
Chouhan also announced that a new program – modern Krishi Chaupal – will be launched on All India Radio and Doordarshan in October 2024, wherein farmers can interact directly with agricultural experts through live question-and-answer sessions. He also announced that a call centre would be launched for redressal of farmers’ grievances.
Chouhan said the government is working on a “six-point strategy” for farmer welfare and agricultural development. This includes increasing production and productivity and bringing down the cost of production. To increase crop production, the prime minister recently dedicated new seeds of 109 varieties of 65 crops to the farmers, which are climate-friendly, pest-resistant and high-yielding, Chouhan said.
Chouhan also said that the government is committed to ensuring that cheap fertilisers are made available to the farmers on time. A bag of urea costs Rs 2,366, while it is made available to farmers for Rs 266; a bag of diammonium phosphate (DAP) costs Rs 2,433 but is made available to farmers for Rs 1,350, he said.
