New Delhi: Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has made revolutionary reforms in the field of agriculture including the important step of announcing the formation of 10 thousand Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). The responsibility of completing this task lies with the Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), which is also responsible for strengthening the e-NAM platform in the present circumstances. There has been considerable progress in institutional and private investments after the establishment of SFAC.
Addressing the 24th Management Board and 19th Annual General Board meetings of the SFAC, Shri Tomar congratulated SFAC team for linking 1000 markets to e-NAM in two phases. He further said that the purpose of creating the platform should be accomplished. Business of more than Rs. I lakh crore has been transacted over the e-NAM platform till now. More than 1.66 crore farmers and more than 1.30 lakh businesses have been registered with e-NAM since its inception. Shri Tomar said that it is a challenge for us to ensure that as a result of reforms, there is ease in selling of produce, along with transparency, farmers get remunerative prices for their produce and they have direct access to this platform. Farmers have completed the harvesting work with great dedication even during the period of lockdown and earning is also now being completed successfully. SFAC must be congratulated for helping the farmers in this.
Shri Tomar said that previously SFAC used to form FPOs on the basis of existing schemes, but it is a matter of happiness today that Hon’ble Prime Minister has announced the formation of 10 thousand FPOs across the country which will give a boost to this task. FPOs must not only be formed but they they must also achieve their objectives. Their responsibilities increase in ensuring that farmers gather in groups, hold discussions and get trained, increase their production, diversify their crops, and discuss ways of decreasing use of pesticides etc. Hon’ble Prime Minister has set the target of doubling farmers’ incomes. In between the problem of COVID appeared yet the pace of Ministry of Agriculture and farmers has not slackened. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar appreciated that SFAC launched the Kisan Rath app with the help of officials of the Ministry of Agriculture which lessened the problem of transport of farm produce during lockdown.
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