Expressing concern over youth keeping away from agriculture as it is increasingly becoming less remunerative, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy called upon the agriculture scientists, companies and policy makers to make efforts for making agriculture more attractive, so that youth opt for it as their chosen profession.
Addressing the inaugural session of the World Agriculture Forum Congress (WAC) 2013, here on Tuesday, the chief minister compared the situation of farming in the 1960s with the present situation and said ‘’At that time, agriculture was much sought after profession, with even educated going for it, as it was remunerative, but it is more the case, even unlettered in rural areas are not keen on taking up farming, which is a matter of worry.’’
Kiran Reddy explained that there are various reasons that led to such a situation including decreasing of the size of even small holdings, which have decreased from 2.3 hectares in the 60s to 1.3 hectares today. Increasing cost of agri-inputs, fertilisers, seeds and most importantly lack of remunerative price for the agriculture produce. Adding to the farmers’ woes, rains have become irregular, water has become scarce, and power is not available as needed, he said.
‘’Now such problems need to be fixed and measures should be contemplated in such a manner that a farmer too gets a sort of fixed income. At the same time, agriculture allied activities like poultry, dairy, and horticulture should be encouraged for assured income,’’ he said while calling upon the conference to think on strategies to give hope to youth, so they can go back to farming.
“We have been allocating Rs 10,000 crore in every budget for the programme to irrigate 1 crore acres. Two million acres have already been brought under irrigation, while another 3 million acres will be irrigated by 2014-15 and rest in another three, four years,’’ he said.
In his address, Union minister of state for agriculture Tariq Anwar also emphasised the need for making agriculture more remunerative and had suggested contract farming as one way to benefit farmers. He said farmers in the country are bogged down by several factors including climate change.
Agriculture minister Kanna Lakshmi Narayana, horticulture minister Ramireddy Venkata Reddy, WAF advisory board chairman James Bolger and WAF chairman Kenneth M Baker also spoke.
