The All India Cooperative Bank Employees' Federation (AICBEF) has decided to observe April 26 as 'Farmers' Advancement Day'.

The day marks the beginning of the 28th year of the federation. (The AICBEF was founded on April 26, 1987).

Sharing this information with Business Line , AICBEF General Secretary P Balakrishnan said that the federation would reiterate its demand for prioritising the needs of the farmers, stress the need for enhancing agriculture infrastructure, fixing a fair price for foodgrains and use of improved technology in agricultural operations on that day.

Suggesting ways and means to make agriculture a profitable proposition, Balakrishnan said: ''Indian agriculture is facing lot of issues. The issues can be resolved only if the Centre and State Governments join hands to strengthen the agriculture infrastructure, enhance the credit flow, establish Agricultural Risk Fund to take care of risks and uncertainties in agricultural production and by putting in place a long-term agricultural credit policy among others.''

The State Government should strengthen the agricultural marketing infrastructure and the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies.

Cooperative Banking Technology Development Fund should be set up with an initial corpus of Rs 2,000 crore with proportionate contribution from the Centre.

Income-tax levy on profits of the state cooperative banks and district central cooperative and urban cooperative banks should be withdrawn and farmers should be empowered, he said, and added ''at least 100 lakh new farmers will have to be brought within the fold of cooperative banks every year''.

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