Vice President highlights scope for food processing industry in the Indian market
The Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu, has called for greater use of technology in food management to ensure food security for all, and said the promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) can immensely help small and marginal farmers with forward (processing, marketing and export) and backward (input and extension services) linkages in the Food Supply Chains.
“The developed world is already reaping benefits from the use of Artificial Intelligence in agriculture and India too must harness its potential to help improve farm income,” he told the second Annual Convocation of Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa at its Piprakothi Campus (East Champaran) in Bihar on 7 Nov 2021.
The Vice President urged Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University to work on the Impact Assessment of Technologies and also evaluate alternative farming techniques and their sustainability.
He emphasised the need to promote FPOs through handholding and capacity building, and appreciated the University for initiating training programmes in this regard.
He reiterated that there is a lot of scope for food processing in India and urged the Universities to encourage farmers in their respective region to form collectives.
Stressing that “agriculture is our basic culture,” he urged the Center and State governments, public leaders, universities and research institutions, and the media to give more importance to agriculture. “We must see that the agri-sector is given all the support that is needed for development and sustenance of agriculture.”
Referring to the stellar performance of the agriculture sector despite challenges thrown by COVID-19 and terming agriculture as one of the main pillars of the Indian economy, he exhorted the young agri-professionals to work for the development of this crucial sector. #investment #technology #projects #economy /fiinews.com
