Time to move from food security to farmer prosperity, says Jagdeep Dhankhar

COIMBATOE: The time has come for the national agriculture agenda to move from food security to farmer prosperity, and the latter has to rise above just being a producer, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said here on Sunday.

Dhankhar was addressing the students and others at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) on the topic "Fostering Agri-Education, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat."

While 46 per cent of the population supports agriculture, the sector contributes only 16 per cent to GDP. Institutions like TNAU should carry ahead the legacy of veteran agri scientist, the late Dr MS Swaminathan (alumnus of TNAU), in ensuring "there is a quantum jump in the contribution of this sector to our GDP," he said.

Dhankhar said India is now a net exporter of agricultural produce, with agri-food products forming over 11 per cent of our total exports.

"You have to script a new chapter. It is time that our national agriculture agenda moves from food security, which was of prime importance, to a national priority at one point in time. Because we had food scarcity, our concern was food security."

"But now the time has changed. We must move from food security to farmer prosperity. Farmer has to be prosperous, and this has to evolve from institutions like yours," he said.

The gap between land and lab should be bridged, and there should be a seamless connection. There should be a change in the curriculum which must align to make a farmer an entrepreneur. "You must persuade the farmer to rise above being just a producer," the V-P said.

Further, he said innovation and research initiatives must be evaluated on what impact they have on the farmer. Research has to be applied, and must be based on need. It must serve a cause.

"Research must be supported, apart from the government at the Centre and the state, also by industry, trade, business and commerce," he said.

He also stressed that agri entrepreneurship needs to be given a great fillip. There are 6,000 such startups, but for a country of 1.4 bn, this is not enough.

"The government has started innovative schemes. The PM Kissan Nidhi Samman scheme -- it is not a freebie, it is distinct from a freebie. It is doing justice to a sector that is our lifeline. This is a direct transfer to the farmer," he said.

The US helps its farmers massively, but it has only one motto-- it will directly help the farmer.

"There will be no intervening situation. In our country also there is a massive subsidy for fertilizer. Institutions like yours must think that if the subsidy given by the government to the fertilizer for the benefit of farmers goes directly to the farmer, every farmer would be getting around Rs 35,000 every year. You must do a study on this," he said.

“What we need are farmer traders, farmer entrepreneurs”, he said.

He called for a bigger role for corporates in agronomy, even as more of them are entering the sector. "I would urge them to share their profit with farmers, to connect with the farmer, and give back to the farming sector," Dhankhar said.

Corporates should invest in research and development, particularly keeping in mind that value addition must happen at the farm land, for the local populace.

Agriculture has to play a vital role if India has to become a USD 30 trillion economy in 2047. The income has to grow eightfold. This was possible, achievable.

He also pointed out how the country once suffered from food scarcity -- importing wheat from the US, to now becoming self-sufficient.

The agro sector has enormous potential that remains to be tapped, and that must begin in institutions like TNAU, he said.

Further, he said India was the world's oldest civilisation, a peace-loving nation where inclusivity and freedom of expression and thought are our legacy.

"Traverse history for a thousand years and we will find in our civilisation, inclusivity and freedom of expression thrived and blossomed and were respected. In present times, the quotient and gradient of expression and inclusivity are comparably the highest in the world," Dhankhar added.

State Governor RN Ravi and officials of TNAU were present.