India Needs A Post-Harvest Revolution, Says PM Modi, While Stressing The Need For Storage Facilities At Village Level

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a webinar on announcements made for the agriculture sector in the budget, on Monday stressed on the nation’s need for a Post Harvest Revolution or a Food Processing Revolution, reports ANI.

PM Modi, while talking about the reforms in the farm laws, said, “Amidst the ever-increasing agricultural production, India in the 21^st century needs the Post Harvest Revolution or Food Processing Revolution and Value Addition.”

He also criticised the previous government for not bringing up these farm reforms earlier and said, “It would have been better for the nation if these farm reforms were made two-three decades ago.”

PM Modi stressed on the need of modern storage facilities and greater investments in agricultural infrastructure, and said it was the need of the hour to expand the agricultural sector and enter the global market for processed food.

He said there is an increasing demand of ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook and processed fruits and vegetables in today’s time and we need to make the maximum use of the immense opportunities in this sector.

“At present, we need to pay maximum attention to processing in every sector of agriculture and for this, it is very necessary that farmers get modern storage facilities near their villages,” said Modi.

“Today, it is the need of the hour that farmers of the country get more and more options in the market. The country is witnessing the loss of limited production to farmers. We must expand the country’s agricultural sector in the global market for processed food,” he added.

While contract farming has been done in some form or the other in various states of the country, many farmers have been practising it for a long time. The farm laws provide the farmer with protection which will further stimulate contract farming and benefit the farmers.

On contract farming, the Prime Minister said, “Contract farming has been done in some form or the other for a long time. Our effort should be that contract farming should not just merely become a business but we should also fulfill our responsibilities towards that land.”

Modi also pointed towards some of the major achievements of the government in the agricultural sector through their various schemes that has benefitted farmers like the transport of one lakh tonnes of vegetables and fruits through 350 trains in the last six months under the Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme.