As India eyes developed nation status, there is need to raise per hectare farm income: Chouhan

Pune: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday emphasised the need to increase per-hectare farm income and said the Centre is giving a push to the horticulture sector through its 'Clean Plant Programme', which will also cover Maharashtra.

An agriculture minister's work isn't considered complete until he visits farmers' fields, insisted Chouhan.

The Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Ajit Pawar attended India's first international agriculture hackathon, organised by the state government in Pune.

Speaking at the event, Chouhan said, "The central government is launching the Clean Plant Programme (CPP). As part of this scheme we will set up nine plants across the country. Of these, three plants will come up in Maharashtra, for which the Centre will spend Rs 300 crore. In Maharashtra, these plants will be located in Pune, Nagpur and Solapur districts." The CPP aims to enhance the quality and productivity of fruit crops across the country. The programme is designed to address critical issues in horticulture by providing access to high-quality, virus-free planting material to farmers regardless of their landholding size.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned a developed India (by 2047). There is a need to increase per hectare agricultural income. An agriculture minister's work cannot be considered complete until he visits farmers' fields. Let us make the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' a success," Chouhan averred.

The fortnight-long campaign, launched on May 29 by the Centre, aims to transform Indian agriculture through scientific intervention. It seeks to help India become the "food basket of the world".

Later, talking to the media, Chouhan congratulated the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra for the success of Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which women from low-income families get a monthly payout of Rs 1,500.

"I would like to congratulate the Maharashtra government. They understood the pain of poor sisters. The journey from 'Ladli Laxmi Yojana' of Madhya Pradesh (launched when Chouhan was CM) to 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' of Maharashtra is a journey of women empowerment," the senior BJP leader noted.

"Many works done in Maharashtra have been adopted by other states," the Union minister highlighted.

Meanwhile, the central minister had an interaction with farmers at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Narayangaon in Pune district. Chouhan visited the Narayangaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), a nearby tomato market and local farm fields where he interacted with cultivators.