Purushottam Rupala promises double farm income by '22

Minister of State for Agriculture, Purushottam Rupala, reiterated the Modi government's determination to double farm income by 2022 at the Krishi Vikas Sammelan in the city, as he went on to delineate several pro-farmer policies adopted by the Centre on Sunday.

Rupala, apart from attacking the Congress for having neglected the farm sector under its rule, posited the efforts taken by the Modi dispensation to rope in technology to benefit the farmers and connect them to the mainstream economy seamlessly and in a profitable way.

"We are working to evolve an integrated national market, Krishi Bazaar, for agricultural products by integrating the 22,000 haats (local markets) where agri produce is currently marketed. This is part from helping farmers to cut down on input costs and maximise production," Rupala said, while addressing over 300 farmers participating from all parts of the country.

The Minister reiterated that the 2018 budget hadn't been billed as the farmers' budget for nothing. "Under Congress' rule, between 2009 and 2014, the agricultural budget was Rs 1,21,082 crore, but that was increased under our government to an unprecedented 2,11,694 crore."

Meanwhile, Santosh Ojha, president of Kisan Kalyan Nyas that has partnered with the government to take the policies and programmes of the Centre to the farmers, said technology had emerged as the key factor in helping farmers access not just information, but also knowledge about the policies of the government.

"Technology can be leveraged to increase farm income. It is readily available owing to increasing penetration of smartphones in the country and we must ensure that farmers are educated in the use of technology via apps and internet. The rise of associated fields such as dairy farming and fisheries has been based on the use of technology," Ojha said.

Recognising this, Rupala told the audience that the Centre had started several such technology-driven schemes and had tried to establish a direct dialogue with farmers using instruments such as websites, portals and Krishi SMS to keep the farm sector informed.