Minister for Transport S.S. Sivasankar on Thursday said that value addition to agricultural products was crucial to improve the income of farmers and those relied on allied agriculture.
Inaugurating the two-day National Food Processors’ Expo-cum-Roundtable organised by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) at Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan College here, he said the income generated by farmers was not commensurate with their hard work and investment to raise crops. Middlemen and big companies reaped the benefits of the hard work of farmers. This situation should be changed. Farmers should enjoy the benefits of raising crops. Value addition to agriculture and allied agricultural products was the way to improve the income of farmers.
Mr. Sivasankar said the State government had been giving importance to promoting agriculture and the income of farmers. It was to address the problems faced by farmers that the State government presented a separate budget for agriculture every year. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had geared up the government machinery to promote agriculture.
Appreciating SICCI for organising the expo, the Minister said that although the government had been implementing many schemes for farmers, such events would help disseminate the much-needed inputs on latest technologies in agriculture.
In his presidential address, SICCI president Arun Alagappan said the agricultural sector faced challenges on multiple fronts. Climate change, diminishing natural resources, and the imperative to enhance productivity without compromising the environment were daunting tasks. Welfare of the farmers, giving them access to markets, and efforts to encourage them to adopt modern technology in remote areas continued to face hurdles.
Precision farming, data-driven decision-making, and the integration of cutting-edge technology could usher in a new era of agriculture. SICCI members would continue to work out strategies for the inclusive growth of farmers, Mr. Alagappan said.
Rafiq Ahmed, Chairman, Kothari Industrial Corporation, Arun Nehru, Managing Director, GSNR Rice Industries Pvt. Ltd., Y.V.N. Krishna Murthy, Board Member, IIT Tirupati, M.V. Subramanian, Board Member, SICCI, and several others participated.
Over 50 stalls have been set up at the expo. Many new technologies and equipment right from raising nurseries to harvest are on display.
The expo, which concludes on Friday, has attracted a large number of farmers.
