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Adopting a sustainable approach in agriculture should involve meeting the demand of key stakeholders including farmers, consumers as well as ecology, said Ashok Dalwai, CEO, National Rainfed Agriculture Authority at the recently organised FICCI Agriculture Summit.
Dalwai said there was a need to move from primary to secondary agriculture by reducing food waste, increasing shelf life, connecting to the markets, meeting different tastes and preferences.
“We must also now focus on ecosystem-based agriculture (EBA), which goes beyond integrated farming systems (IFS). The difference between EBA and IFS or ILS (integrated livelihood system) is that it considers the need for a participative approach to the practice of agriculture,” Dalwai said.
Tapping India’s potential
Sudhanshu, Secretary, APEDA, complimented FICCI on acknowledging the industry for the initiatives taken towards farmer income enhancement. “The country has immense potential to revolutionise the agri-basket and horticultural basket of the country. We have been able to not only tap the middle east market but the quality conscious market of Europe as well,” he said.
Also read: Indian agri on the cusp of disruption, says Bain research report
The FICCI-YES Bank Knowledge Report, ‘ India beyond 75: Envisioning Smart & Sustainable Agriculture’ was also released at the event. The winners of the FICCI Sustainable Agriculture Awards 2021 were also felicitated at the event, a release said.
TR Kesavan, Chairman, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President, TAFE Ltd, said that cutting down wastage at the farm gate is the first step to sustainability. The second part of sustainability is to preserve what you grow. “India can be a food bowl for many countries. The Central government has done a lot to change the agricultural policies that have added phenomenal strength to agriculture,” he noted.
Sanjay Sacheti, Co-Chair, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Executive Director & Country Head, Olam Agro India Pvt Ltd said that sustainable agriculture has two aspects – farmer livelihoods and promoting resource use efficiency in agriculture. “There is a huge opportunity in commodity value chains where industry participates through appropriate risk-taking and with the right level of entrepreneurship,” he said.
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