Chennai: Praising the Centre for having sown ‘seeds of agricultural transformation’, eminent scientist and scholar M.S. Swaminathan said that the Union Budget has tried to be ‘as pro-farmer as possible.’ In a statement, Swaminathan said that giving income orientation to farming was probably the most significant announcement in the budget. “Jaitley said that the aim is to double farmers’ income in five years.
But the economic survey points out that contribution of agriculture has been declining. It is in this context that the emphasis on income becomes urgent,” the statement said.
“For achieving income enhancement, we need at least five major steps. These are higher productivity of small farms leading to larger marketable surplus; knowledge, skill, credit and land ownership empowerment of women farmers who carry out over 60 per cent of farm work; substitution of low value crops with high value ones; promotion of biomass utilisation and finally the procurement price should be based on proposal by National Commission on Farmers,” Swaminathan said.
Swaminathan noted that the introduction of technology and e-platforms for regulating agricultural markets were forward looking steps. “The dawn of a new era in farming is in sight,” he added.
