Shri Tomar said the eNAM portal has been created so that the farmer gets better price for his produce. Already 585 Mandis have boarded the eNAM platform and another 415 Mandis will be added in due course. More than Rs.91,000 crore of eVyapar (e-trade) has been performed on the eNAM, he said. Shri Tomar said the share of Agriculture & allied sector to India’s GDP is itself low, but it is matter of concern that within this sector, the contribution of Agriculture alone is lower than that of Horticulture, Fisheries and even Animal Husbandry. He said the Government aims to set up at least two Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in each block. There are three factors that have contributed to surplus foodgrains, - primarily the farmers’ labour, secondly the role of agricultural scientists, labs and universities and thirdly the central and state governments’ farmer welfare policies, schemes and incentives. “We have to create an ideal situation where agriculture sector becomes lucrative. Let the farmer not only leave behind for his inheritors the piece of land but also the legacy of agriculture as a profession,” said Shri Tomar.
Underlining the crucial role of KVKs as a bridge between the laboratories and farmland, Shri Kailash Choudhary, MoS for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, said since the creation of the first KVK at Puducherry in 1974, there are 717 KVKs spread across the country today. Calling for strengthening KVKs, he said we have to ensure the farmer gets superior and resilient seeds, irrigation and fertilizers for growing healthy crops, mechanised harvesting and a market providing the best price for his produce.
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