The new farm laws hold a great potential for horticulture crop diversification, said AK Singh, Deputy Director General, Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR), on Monday.
Addressing the National Horticulture Fair (NHF) 2021, Singh said the farm laws will benefit the peasantry and agriculture sector as they hold a great potential for farmers to diversify their cropping system, especially with the horticulture crops.
Farmers can look forward to getting a better price as these laws help eliminate the middlemen, Singh said.
NHF 2021 is organised by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR) at Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru. The five-day fair is showcasing the theme of ‘Start-up India’ and ‘Stand Up India’ with a view to promote entrepreneurship, said IIHR director, MR Dinesh.
The fair is demonstrating the new farm technologies such as hydroponics and showcasing the package of practices, the new hybrids and varieties of fruits, vegetables and flowers developed by IIHR.
T Mohapatra, ICAR Director General, said the horticulture segment — through enhanced exports of fruits and vegetables and processed products — has a big role to play in the country’s economy which is targeting to grow to $5 trillion by 2024-25. Also, horticulture has a major role in addressing challenges such as malnutrition, Mohapatra said in his virtual address.
Entrepreneurship
Stressing upon the need to disseminate the information to farmers, Mohapatra said fairs such as these play a role in creating awareness about new technologies. Information will empower the farmers and make agriculture profitable, Mohapatra said.
About 50 incubation centres are being set up to help entrepreneurs in the farm sector, he said.
Art of Living Founder Ravishankar Guruji, who inaugurated NHF 2021, said India must adopt organic farming for sustainable development. He also stressed the need to change the food culture and to promote desi food to strengthen immune system.