Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said the government needs to support farmers, who do not receive fair prices for their produce, as they are determined by global factors. “We are facing problems of poverty and unemployment in rural and tribal India because farmers are not getting good prices in the global economy,” the minister said. He also said that 65 per cent of India’s population is engaged in agricultural activities, but their contribution to the country’s GDP is only 14 per cent.
The road transport and highways minister pointed out that when the government permitted the production of bio-ethanol from corn, the price of corn increased to Rs 2,800 per quintal from Rs 1,200 per quintal. According to Gadkari, farmers have earned an additional Rs 45,000 crore by producing ethanol from corn. “So, diversification of agriculture towards the energy and power sector is the need of our country,” he added.
Presentation – Dibyabharati Nayak