MS Swaminathan hails move to boost farm income

Swaminathan said in a statement that the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) had recommended that hereafter we should measure agriculture progress by the growth in the real income of farmers and not just by gross production of wheat, rice and other commodities. For achieving income enhancement, we need in my view, at least five major steps. 

These are, higher productivity of small farms leading to larger marketable surplus, knowledge, skill, credit and land ownership empowerment of women farmers, who carry out over 60 per cent of farm work, substitution of low value crops with high value ones like fruits, vegetables and flowers as well as animal products, promotion of biomass utilisation so that every part of the plant is utilised for preparing value added products through initiatives like Rice Bio Park and the procurement price should be based on the NCF proposal namely, C2 plus 50 per cent. 

The budget also placed emphasis on organic farming. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana for bringing 5 lakh acres under organic farming.