Vice President Venkaiah Naidu warns farmers might leave agriculture unless farming is made profitable

HYDERABAD: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday warned that farmers might leave agriculture unless farming was made viable and profitable.

Addressing the Annual Awards function of Rythu Nestham at Swarna Bharat Trust here, he said the focus should be on bringing down the input costs, in addition to increasing productivity.

Indiscriminate use of fertilizers, pesticides, electricity and water also needs to be curbed, he said.

"There is a need for broader discussion on lucrative farming in the country," he said, and stressed that scientists must ensure that research outcomes directly reach the farmers "from the laboratory to the land".

He also advocated zero budget natural farming promoted by agriculturist Subhash Palekar.

It will help in reducing costs and providing a stable income to farmers and also protect the consumers from the ill-effects of pesticides, he said.

The Vice President highlighted the need to create awareness among farmers to diversify to allied activities to increase their incomes and appealed to the private sector to step up investments in agriculture.

He also inaugurated a free medical camp here and called upon people to pay greater attention to their health and wellness.