Farmers must be involved thoroughly with marketing agricultural produce as well as value addition, while industrialists who benefit from the sector must also contribute, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Thursday.
He was addressing agriculturists at the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) in Old Goa.
"The farmer must involve thoroughly with marketing of agriculture produce as well as value addition. A major change in the farmer's income will come only when the farmer also engages in the business of agriculture," he said.
There are many factories based on agricultural produce but the farmer just ends up being a customer of the products of such units, the VP pointed out.
Farmers should also get involved in the business of various gadgets and inputs like fertilisers and insecticides required in the sector, he said.
"If farmers and their children remain confined within a limited scope of farming, the momentum that is required to drive India's economic system will fall short," Dhankhar pointed out.
The agri-economy is not just about agri-production, he said, adding that the farmer must have a high share (of involvement) in all its facets, including marketing and value addition.
"There is need to create entrepreneurs from the farming community. I call them agripreneurs. This country must have millions of agripreneurs," he said.
"It is also important that those who benefit from the farmers, those who benefit from the farmer's produce -- the big industrialists too should contribute to strengthening the farmer's economy. I'm not criticizing them (industrialists), I'm offering advice," the VP said.
He said industrialists should ensure the farmer's participation and conduct research and use their CSR funds in key issues of rural development.
"Only then will there be significant change," Dhankhar asserted.
Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, said on Wednesday that the terrorists themselves had provided evidence of ‘Operation Sindoor’ to the world, and that the coffins of those targeted were escorted by Pakistani military officials and politicians.
Addressing a function organised at Vasco in South Goa by the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA), Dhankhar said India’s precise military strikes during Operation Sindoor gave a befitting message to Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
“It has sent a global message. A message that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave to the entire world from the heartland of Bihar that terrorism will no longer go unpunished,” the Vice President said.
He called the punishment of the terrorists “exemplary”.
“The strike was deep in the territory beyond the international border. Keeping in mind our ethos, the target was only terrorists. What a satisfaction for everyone,” said the Vice President.
After the high achievement of the operation, no one was asking for its proof, he said.
“The terrorists (who were targeted) revealed the proof to the entire global fraternity. The coffins were escorted by the military force of that country, the political force of that country and by terrorists,” he said.
During Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for the killing of 26 people in Pahalgam on April 22, Indian armed forces struck terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan earlier this month.
Dhankhar said India is emerging as a global economic force and a maritime powerhouse. The country is committed to peace, sustainability and development, he said.
“To be a ‘viksit nation’, we need an eight-fold increase in per capita income. Economic development cannot take place when we have a war-like situation. Peace is fundamental to growth and development,” he said.
Dhankhar said peace comes from strength in security, economy and development, and commitment to the nation.
Officials said during his visit to Vasco, the Vice President dedicated to the nation three projects at Mormugao Port – a 3 MW solar power plant, commercial operation of two harbour mobile cranes and a covered dome for coal handling.
Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Shripad Naik, Union minister of state for port, shipping and waterways, were present on the occasion.
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