Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates setting up of Agriculture Investment Portal
Government's full focus is on women
farmers, Tomar said in a meeting with Melinda Gates
The
Co-Chairperson of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda French Gates
held a meeting with the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra
Singh Tomar, in New Delhi today. During the meeting, Tomar inaugurated the
creation of an integrated "Agriculture Investment Portal" by the
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. During the meeting, the minister
said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government
has full focus on promoting women farmers in the country.
Tomar pointed that there are many challenges in the
agriculture sector and the Government of India is continuously working to solve
them efficiently under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. He said that the
number of small farmers is more in the country, the government believes that if
their strength increases, then the agriculture sector will improve and
production will also increase, the government is working in this direction.
He added that
traditional farming methods used to run in the agriculture sector in India, now
in the current perspective there is a need for investment in the agriculture
sector, in view of which the government has initiated many reforms,
incorporated technology in agriculture and to ensure the eligible farmers are
provided aid with transparency, the Digital Agriculture Mission has also been
started in the country.
The minister told
that with the aim of further increasing investment in agriculture, the
Government of India has allocated a special package of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore
for agriculture and allied sectors under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Work
on these provisions has started, including the Rs. 1 lakh crore Agriculture
Infrastructure Fund. Once these are implemented, the Indian agriculture sector
will be rejuvenated.
He said that a large number of women are also working in
the agriculture sector in India. To increase their number and for their
continuous progress, the Union Ministry of Rural Development is also running a
scheme for the empowerment of women farmers, in which the Ministry of
Agriculture is partnering. At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture spends
a certain part of its budget for the upliftment of women farmers. Tomar added
that the "Krishi Nivesh Portal" (Agriculture Investment Portal) will
prove to be a milestone in terms of investment in the agriculture sector, which
will be a centralized one stop portal for agri-investors to avail benefits of
various government schemes implemented by various departments related to
agriculture and allied sectors. He said that this portal would prove to be
handy for the investors, they would get a lot of help from it. Appreciating the
work being done by the Gates Foundation in various fields in India, Shri Tomar
hoped that working in the agriculture sector in India by the Foundation would
prove to be a good experience.
Melinda Gates said she would be happy to work with the
Ministry of Agriculture. She wants that there should be maximum involvement of
women farmers. She said that the Foundation is working in many countries and
has a good experience in India. Melinda Gates expressed happiness over India
getting the presidency of G-20 and expressed her desire to always work
together. Union Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja and Director General of
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Dr Himanshu Pathak also gave
their views in the meeting. Joint Secretary Praveen Samuel gave a presentation.
Other officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII) and representatives of the India office of Gates Foundation were
also present on the occasion.