R G Agarwal, Chairman Dhanuka Agritech

“Now that the Modi government has come back with a thumping majority, we expect it to outline its solutions in the forthcoming Budget addressing the acute farm distress. The interim Budget provided much-needed income support to farmers through the ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi’ scheme. This needs to be implemented across the country along with new policies for farmers on water management and conservation, as the worsening water crisis needs immediate attention. Unmonitored use of water for irrigation has led to severe depletion of groundwater levels. At Dhanuka Agritech we have been actively involved in water conservation, to help farmers as well as at the village and corporate level. The newly formed Jal Shakti Ministry should announce rational measures to deal with the water crisis. It must focus on completing the pending irrigation projects and give impetus on promoting drip/ sprinkle irrigation amongst farmers with the required support.” 

“Access to urban markets is another issue. The government should announce measures to help farmers to transport fresh produce (vegetables/fruits) through four-wheelers to sell their produce in the cities directly to consumers, removing the middlemen involved. Developing infrastructure for agriculture at the village level should be a priority for inclusive development. Further, as per Dr. Ashok Dalwai committee on ‘Doubling Farmers’ Income’ appointed by PM, the cost of pesticides usage in entire agriculture process is mere 0.4% but it should be noted that if pesticides are not of good quality then the rest 99.6% investment in agriculture may go waste. As such special focus should be to ensure supply of quality pesticides to farmers. Finally, GST on pesticides should be reduced from 18 percent to 5 percent in line with fertilizers and other agri-products so that farmers gets quality pesticides at reasonable price to protect their crops from pests and diseases.”