Improve farm income by value addition to agricultural production: Vice President

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that value addition for agricultural production is one of the solutions for improving farmers’ income. He was addressing the inaugural session of the International Conference ‘AFITA/WCCA2018’ on Research Frontiers in Precision Agriculture, jointly organized by Asia-Pacific Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, International Network for Information Technology in Agriculture and Indian Society for Agricultural Information Technology, in Mumbai today.

The Vice President said that farming community needs to diversify and take up allied activities like fisheries, dairy and poultry as well to supplement on-farm incomes.

Expressing concern over the increasing urban rural divide, the Vice President said that such divide would consolidate majority population in urban areas only. He suggested developing Smart Villages along with Smart Cities with a greater focus on technological innovations in agriculture.

The Vice President said that we need smart farmers who absorb new knowledge and skills. Technology cannot be confined to urban areas and it must spread quickly to the rural population and enable farmers to harness its potential. It must be remembered that, agricultural renaissance can take shape only on a strong digital foundation, he added.

The Vice President said that India’s digital revolution must be expanded to rural areas enabling the population to adopt use of digital tools. He suggested taking the leap forward in agricultural productivity using digital applications and technological innovations, he said.

The Vice President opined that adopting state of the art technology can help in sustaining food security and enhanced livelihood opportunities. He said that transformation in agriculture can come not merely from the government cooperation but from a wide range of individuals and institutions such as Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Agriculture research centers and scientists. He stressed the need to transfer knowledge and technology to farmers so that they put it into practice.

The Governor of Maharashtra, Shri C. Vidyasagar Rao, the Minister for School Education, Sports and Youth Welfare, Higher and Technical Education, Maharashtra, Shri Vinod Tawde and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.