The Vice President, M Hamid Ansari wants a “Grow in India” programme to transform the socio-economic fabric of the agricultural sector.

Delivering the keynote address at the National Seminar on ‘Public Investment and Subsidies on Agricultural Inputs and the Upliftment of Agrarian Economy’, organized by the All India Kisan Sabha here on Saturday, Ansari said the government needs to take bold steps to translate the good intentions into action to tackle the deficiencies in farming.

The Vice President said that the enhanced public expenditure in agriculture - in the form of increased investments, rather than un-targeted subsidies - is required to bring about technical change in agriculture, and higher agricultural growth.

He observed that small farms are weak in terms of generating adequate income and sustaining livelihood. Their participation in agricultural market remains low due to a range of constraints such as low volumes, high transaction costs, lack of markets and information access, he added.

Ansari said that we need a social corrective along with the economic correctives to redress these challenges in development of rural sector. Mere infusion of funds might not be enough unless the underlying social gaps and divisions remain in place, he added.

The Vice-President felt the centrality of Agriculture in the socio-economic fabric of India is self evident and almost half of the workforce in India still remains dependent on it. He said that the issue of farmer’s suicides is certainly a complex one but it brings into sharp focus the stresses that the agricultural sector in India is now subject to.

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