Farmers from across the country gathered here to share their success stories and raise issues pertaining to their field during the farmer-scientist interface session held at the 16th Agricultural Science Congress (ASC). Their primary demand was to ensure fair pricing and a reliable market for their produce.
Farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Lakshadweep attended the meet.
Farmers’ concern
They emphasised the importance of considering the needs and challenges faced by small and medium-scale farmers when formulating agricultural development policies. They underlined the need for these policies to address issues such as fair pricing, market access, and financial support for the agricultural sector.
They stressed the significance of social dignity, especially when dealing with financial institutions and government offices. They called for the development of local varieties of paddy and the provision of interest-free loans to farmer-producer organisations (FPOs). They also advocated for the inclusion of farmers’ produce in the public distribution system to enhance their market reach.
The issue highlighted during the meeting was the crisis faced by coconut farmers due to falling prices and disease outbreaks. Concerns were shared by farmers to emphasise the urgency of addressing the challenges faced by agricultural communities across the represented regions.
Five Padma awardees were felicitated at the meet: Cheruvayal Raman, a tribal farmer from Wayanad; Sabarmatee Tiki and Batakrushna Sahoo, from Odisha; and Seth Pal Singh and Chandrasekhar Singh, from Uttar Pradesh.