Chennai: Recalling the Union BJP Government bringing in three Agriculture Bills to the detriment of farmers and making them run from pillar to post for several months before withdrawing them only after realizing that their resolve could not be broken, Chief Minister M K Stalin gave an indirect call to the farming community to vote the BJP out of power.
The time was fast approaching for the farming community to show its responsibility in saving the land and the people, he said in his address after inaugurating the ‘Agriculture Business Expo’ organized by the State Agriculture department for the benefit of the Farmer Producer organizations at the Chennai Trade Centre on Saturday.
Farming, which was now a way of life and culture, must evolve into a profitable business and to expedite that process the State government was holding the exhibition as ‘Agriculture Business Expo’ and not merely as Agriculture Expo, he said.
The growth of the agriculture department was intertwined with people’s life and livelihood and the ideal yard stick for a nation’s prosperity was the agricultural department, he said, quoting the ancient Tamil poet Avvaiyar, who had said how it was the success of farming that ultimately defined the triumph of the rulers.
So, he urged the officials to give due respect and importance to farmers, recounting the steps taken by his government to help agriculture, including the exclusive Agriculture Budget and a slew of welfare schemes that had finally led to a four per cent increase in production of food grains.
Listing the initiatives taken for increasing food production in the Cauvery delta region, starting with the advancing of the water release date from Mettur reservoir to June 12 for undertaking Kuruvai paddy cultivation, the desilting of the rivers, canals and small channels in the delta region, he said the measures had led to an agricultural revolution and the Agriculture Business Expo was its crowning glory.
Since farmers should not remain producers alone but also become marketers, M Karunanidhi, during his tenure as Chief Minister, launched the ‘Farmers’ Markets’ that was neglected and allowed to go to seed by the governments that came subsequently, he said. Farmers’ Markets, a lofty idea, kept the brokers away and enabled farmers get remunerative prices, he added.
Ever since the present government took charge, 100 Farmers’ Markets were revived and 10 new such markets were started, besides opening facilities to convert the waste from the markets into manure, he said, adding that efforts were on to export agricultural products and the government was extending support to the tune of Rs 12.45 crore to 140 Farmer Producer Organisations.
Calling upon farmers to harness technology to increase their productivity and meet the twin demands of the times, addressing climate change and the rise in food demand, the Chief Minister stressed the importance of farmers knowing technology and also officers knowing farming since agriculture should become a commerce.
