Govt to give grape growers just tech support: Pawar
Union agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar, on Monday told farmers not to look for financial support from the government.
By TNN |
PUNE: Union agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar, on Monday told farmers not to look for financial support from the government. Instead, they should become self-sufficient, for which the government will provide the technical and technological inputs. Do not expect financial packages or bailouts, was his message.
Mr Pawar was speaking at the inauguration of a two-day seminar organised by the Maharashtra State Grape Growers Association here on Monday. While he told the gathering that the government would look into their demands, like the import of root stock, he did not commit to any measure.
The association has called for support in the form of better infrastructure. “We do not want to beg government for cash. We want that they should create the infrastructure, through legislation, if needed, to allow us to compete on an equal footing with importers. Nowhere in the world do farmers have to pay the rates of interest that Indian farmers have to pay. It makes us uncompetitive,” Sopan Kanchan, founder member of the association, said.
He added that the association wants government to facilitate the creation of a public-private partnership which would allow for forward linkages. Marketing and chains of cold stores are seen as the weakest links for farmers and this is where the corporate sector can help. Both activities require huge investments which farmers cannot make.
Maharashtra grows between 14-16 lakh tonnes of grape of which 12-14 lakh tonnes is marketed. Due to a lack of infrastructure, crop worth Rs 600 crore is lost. This infrastructure, in the form of cold chains, would greatly help farmers earn more, he said.
The association also wanted that non-conventional energy solutions could be made for them, since power is a crucial input. Members said that they do not want handouts from government in the form of free power but would like solar power. The setting up of such units again is capital intensive and government could extend subsidies for this, Mr Kanchan said.
Mr Pawar was speaking at the inauguration of a two-day seminar organised by the Maharashtra State Grape Growers Association here on Monday. While he told the gathering that the government would look into their demands, like the import of root stock, he did not commit to any measure.
The association has called for support in the form of better infrastructure. “We do not want to beg government for cash. We want that they should create the infrastructure, through legislation, if needed, to allow us to compete on an equal footing with importers. Nowhere in the world do farmers have to pay the rates of interest that Indian farmers have to pay. It makes us uncompetitive,” Sopan Kanchan, founder member of the association, said.
He added that the association wants government to facilitate the creation of a public-private partnership which would allow for forward linkages. Marketing and chains of cold stores are seen as the weakest links for farmers and this is where the corporate sector can help. Both activities require huge investments which farmers cannot make.
Maharashtra grows between 14-16 lakh tonnes of grape of which 12-14 lakh tonnes is marketed. Due to a lack of infrastructure, crop worth Rs 600 crore is lost. This infrastructure, in the form of cold chains, would greatly help farmers earn more, he said.
The association also wanted that non-conventional energy solutions could be made for them, since power is a crucial input. Members said that they do not want handouts from government in the form of free power but would like solar power. The setting up of such units again is capital intensive and government could extend subsidies for this, Mr Kanchan said.
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