Remove inter-state checks on agriculture produce: Venkaiah Naidu
We have to substantially increase the income of farmers.
Chennai: Averring that agriculture requires long-term solution and structural changes, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu called for steps to dispense with inter-state restrictions on agricultural produce and stressed the need for both the Centre and state governments to focus on sustained efforts to make agriculture viable.
“We need to focus on agriculture. We have to substantially increase the income of farmers. It should be doubled otherwise people will continue to migrate to towns and already the urban migration has become irreversible,” he said inaugurating an exhibition “New India – resolve to achieve” to mark the platinum jubilee of the Quit India movement at Anna University here, on Sunday evening.
Cannot sustain huge population on imports alone, says Vice President
In a lighter vein he remarked “Even I have migrated from rural development to urban development ministry. Now I am out of it…. We have to provide agriculturalists what they need. Sustainability is one of the challenges before us,” Venkaiah stressed.
According to him, agriculture ought to be made climate resilient, profitable and sustainable.
Crop diversification should be an important element of sustainability. Both the Centre and states should focus more on these aspects and see that agriculture becomes sustainable “because you cannot sustain on imports alone to feed the huge population,” he said.
The Vice President also said that the time has come to bridge the urban-rural divide and ensure equality for all. Later, interacting with students on the occasion he said the country has to produce more and step up its exports. World-wide economy is slowing down but the only economy which is moving forward is that of India’s.
“We must take advantage of the investment climate to attract more investments and create wealth to be distributed to the people,” Mr. Venkaiah added.