Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri. Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri. Shivraj Singh Chouhan attended the concluding session of India’s first International Agri Hackathon in Pune.
On the occasion, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asserted that the agriculture sector is facing many problems in the backdrop of current climate change and the use of modern technology is the only solution.
He also expressed the need to incubate useful technologies from the Pune Agri Hackathon and take them directly to farmers. He expressed his belief that if this revolution in the field of agricultural technology is taken forward, it will increase the productivity of agriculture.
Addressing the gathering, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare commended the innovation and enthusiasm demonstrated by the participants and applauded Maharashtra’s significant contributions to horticultural excellence.
"Maharashtra has emerged as a horticulture hub of the country. The combined efforts of the Government and the hard work of its farmers have set an example for the rest of the nation," said Shri Chouhan.
He also congratulated Maharashtra for its record production of grapes, pomegranates, oranges, chickpeas and various vegetables. There is no guarantee whether the plants available for cultivation in the horticulture sector are disease-free and productive or not.
To solve this problem, the Union Minister stated that the Central Government will launch the 'Clean Plant' program. This program will ensure that the plants available to farmers are disease-free, he said. 9 'Clean Plant' projects will be started across the country, out of which 3 projects will be set up in Maharashtra at a cost of Rs 300 crore.
Under this, Shri Chouhan further added, projects will be started in Pune for grapes, in Nagpur for oranges and in Solapur for pomegranates. Along with these projects, he informed that modern nurseries will also be set up.
Those who use technology for agriculture will be supported by these nurseries. Rs 3 crore will be provided for large nurseries and Rs 1.5 crore for medium-sized nurseries. Through these nurseries, 8 crore disease-free seedlings will be available to farmers every year.
The Minister therefore expressed confidence that Maharashtra's horticulture will be able to compete with the world. Shri. Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said that cooperation from countries like Israel and the Netherlands will also be taken to implement this program.
The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare reiterated the resolution of a developed India presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, he said that this resolution cannot be realized in reality without developed agriculture and prosperous farmers.
He also mentioned that measures are necessary to increase the production per hectare, reduce the cost of production, get fair prices for agricultural products and compensation for losses for farmers to benefit from agriculture.
Elaborating further, the Minister stated, scientists work in laboratories to produce good seeds, increase production and diagnose diseases. However, their research does not reach the farmers in a timely manner. To bridge this gap, the Government is trying to bring scientists and farmers together through 'Lab to Land'.
For this, he said, the Central Government has taken an important decision that sixteen thousand scientists from across the country will come out of the laboratories and work directly with the farmers and with the Agriculture Department of the Central Government.
He expressed his belief that if science and farmers come together and they get the support of the Government and Agricultural Universities, miracles will happen in the agricultural sector. Shri. Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said that there is a misconception that the youth do not want to enter the agricultural sector.
However, he appealed to the youth to use their skills and enter the agricultural sector and initiate start startups. He also expressed the need to develop seed varieties that are adaptable to climate change to avoid damage.
He assured that the government will leave no stone unturned to solve every problem of the farmers. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri. Shivraj Singh Chouhan also put forth the resolve to export the country’s agricultural products all over the world after satisfying the needs of the citizens of India and to make India a food bank of the world.
He said that Maharashtra will play an important role in this. He appealed to the farmers to develop their agriculture and contribute to the journey of a developed India. During the event dignitaries presented awards to the winners among the participating startups, agri-innovators, and enterprising farmers.
These winners were recognized under categories such as Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture, Soil and Irrigation Management, Soil Health Management, Farm Mechanization, Fertigation and Pest-Disease Management, Post-Harvest Technologies and Residue Management, Agri-Economics and Market Linkages, and Other Agricultural Innovations.