At a Krishi Mela in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for steps to conserve water and also for farmers to diversify their efforts in terms of the kinds of crops they plant. He also suggested going in for allied activities like poultry, dairy and food processing. This comes after the government announced that they would spend Rs 20,000
croreto boost irrigation projects. Government data shows that the average monthly income to agricultural households during the crop year July 2012-June 2013 was Rs 6426. The next generation of farmers will not delve into the business if their income is this meagre. Putting money into irrigation projects is one thing, easing the lives of farmers is another. The government has to simplify the land records process across the country, ensure that land
transfers can be done with ease and encourage farmers to continue
farming by way of generous subsidies that make their
way to the end user. Otherwise, everything else is just talk.
