Need to develop agri sector to meet future food demand: Govt

New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) The country's farm sector needs tobe developed further in order to meet future demand offoodgrain, which some estimates show...

New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) The country's farm sector needs tobe developed further in order to meet future demand offoodgrain, which some estimates show could reach 355 milliontonnes by 2030, the government said today.

A latest paper prepared by Grant Thornton and industrybody Ficci has projected foodgrain demand to reach 355 milliontonnes in next 13 years from the current 250 million tonnes.

"Even though, we have been nearly sufficient on foodproduction, we have to keep ourselves prepared for futureneed," Minister for State for Agriculture Gajendra SinghShekhawat said addressing a three-day event on farmmachination here.

In view of rising foodgrain demand, there is a need tofurther develop the farm sector by plugging the existing gaps,he was quoted as saying in an official release.

Talking about role of farm machinery in doubling farmers'income, the minister suggested commodity-specific farmequipment would help increase mechanisation.

"Attempts should be to diversify the pattern ofmechanisation in India. Time has come to get the farmequipment industry into a loop and enter into meaningfuldiscussions for spreading the culture of mechanisation in therural areas," he said.

Noting that lack of manpower is leading to shift to farmmachineries, the minister stressed the need to provide farmerswith all the tools to optimise the output on their farmsconsidering the growing and limited arable land.

The government is therefore promoting farm mechanisationby subsidising purchase of equipment through a scheme of Sub-Mission of Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM) that promotesmodels of custom hiring as well, he added.

The minister further mentioned that it is generallybelieved that the benefits of modern technology have beenrestricted to farmers with large land-holdings.

Yet the fact remains that even small farmers are adoptingand utilising selected farm equipment for efficient farmmanagement through custom hiring, he added.

Italian Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina, Ambassadorof Italy to India Lorenzo Angeloni, Agriculture Secretary S KPattanayak were also present at the event. PTI LUXSBT.

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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