The Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted with pride that due to steps taken in the past two decades the dairy market in Gujarat has reached 1 lakh crore rupees. He recalled his earlier visits in 2007 and 2011 and his request to increase the participation of women. Now most of the committees have good representation of women. Payment for milk is mostly done to women, he said.
He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple projects worth more than Rs. 1,000 at Sabar Dairy at Gadhoda Chowki, Sabarkantha, Gujarat. These projects will empower local farmers and milk producers and increase their income. This will also give a boost to the rural economy in the region.
He said these experiments are being used in other areas also. Today, the work of formation of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) is going on in full swing in the country. Through these FPOs, small farmers will be able to directly connect with the food processing, value linked export and supply chain. The farmers of Gujarat are also going to benefit a lot from it, he said.
He said that the strategy of creating alternative income streams for farmers is bearing fruit. Horticulture, fishery, honey production are giving good income to the farmers. Khadi and Gramodyog turnover has gone over one lakh crore for the first time. More than 1.5 crore new jobs were created in this sector in villages.
Measures like increasing ethanol blending in petrol are creating new avenues for the farmers. “Until 2014, less than 400 million litres of ethanol was blended in the country. Today it is reaching around 400 crore litres. Our government has also given Kisan Credit Cards to more than 3 crore farmers by running a special campaign in the last 2 years”, he added.
The Prime Minister said that steps like neem-coating of urea, opening closed fertiliser plants and promoting nano fertilisers and ensuring urea availability at affordable prices despite global price hike have benefited the farmers of the country and that of Gujarat. Sujlam Suflam Scheme has made water available to many tehsils of Sabarkantha district. Similarly, he said that connectivity has been increased at an unprecedented scale in the district and nearby areas. Railway and highway projects have improved the connectivity in the region. This connectivity is helping tourism and in ensuring jobs for the youth, he said.
