The Vice President of India, M.Venkaiah Naidu has stressed on the need to address distress situation, inherited over the years, in farm sector on priority and make farming a remunerative activity. He interacted with over 400 farmers from Outer Delhi area. Member of Lok Sabha Shri Parvesh Verma was present on the occasion.Voicing concerns over the difficulties being faced by the farmers even after 70 years of Independence and the country making strides in various fields, Shri Naidu said “A doctor wants his son to become a doctor, a lawyer’s son becomes a lawyer, an actor wants his son to become an actor despite not being fully qualified, but a farmer prays for his son becoming at least a Class-IV employee. This is because of the uncertainty of farm incomes even as farming is physically very demanding. The only way to address this is to ensure remunerative and assured incomes to farmers through necessary interventions”. Shri Naidu, addressed the farmers who came to facilitate him on ‘a farmer becoming the Vice-President’ and dwelt at length about the problems adversely impacting farm incomes including the paradox of high input prices and non-remunerative prices for farm produce, inadequate institutional financing, lack of cold storage and transport facilities, shortage of irrigation and power supply, poor marketing systems, inadequate penetration of modern farm technology, inadequate public investments etc.
Shri Naidu referred to his visiting Madanapalle market in Andhra Pradesh where tomato was sold at one rupee per kg and the same day in Bengaluru at Rs.8/kg and the next day in Delhi at Rs.20/kg, which reflect poorly on farmer being deprived of his due. He urged the farmers to take advantage of the e-NAM (National Agricultural Market).Referring to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call for doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022, Shri Naidu urged the State Governments to ensure necessary infrastructure like good road connectivity, irrigation water, electricity, network of cold storage facilities, problem oriented farm research and extension services, marketing support to farmers etc.Noting that States have to play a critical role in assuring remunerative returns to farmers,Shri Naidu referred to the success of focussed efforts of the Madhya Pradesh Government that led to a 22% growth in farm output in the State.He stressed that “Parliament, Political Parties and the Press need take farming sector challenges more seriously enable workable solutions”. Shri Naidu said “As Chairman of Rajya Sabha I will sincerely endeavour to ensure that farmers’ problems get due attention of the House”.In a rural ambience with a large number of turban wearing farmers, Shri Naidu spent about two hours with them, enquiring about their experiences, difficulties being faced, attitudes of their children etc. Shri Naidu urged them to adopt modern farm technology and take full advantage of the schemes of central and state governments.