Agri-startups must move beyond Tier-2 & Tier-3 cities, reach out to villages: Vice President

New Delhi: “I see farm produce is sold when it is not farmers market, it is buyers’ market. The government provides facilities to hold on to the stock by massive warehousing and cooperative movement. The farmer has to know about it. You can play a great role. Institutes like yours must have live connect with Krishi Vigyan Kendras, with Institutes of Indian Council of Agriculture Research,” stated the Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar while addressing the gathering at the inauguration of Advanced Entrepreneurship And Skill Development Programme (A-ESDP) Campus at National Agri-Food and Biomanufacturing Institute (NABI), Mohali.

Dhankhar called for the revitalization of rural economies through micro-industries that add value to agricultural and dairy products. “There must be evolution of a mechanism in a village or in a cluster of villages where you have micro industries at the farm that add value to the agro produce, that add value to the livestock produced, milk produced. This will help evolve a sustainable society and the nutritional food value will certainly go up. What stops us from having entrepreneurial skills to produce ice creams, paneer, sweets, and the like in village clusters? This is very important because it will generate employment and satisfy rural youth.”

He further emphasized that technology must be integrated into farming practices to improve efficiency and productivity saying, “Startups are there in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. They have to trickle to villages now because agriculture produce is lifeline of economy, raw material for industry. And when this takes place, close to the farmland in the rural firmament, evolving as a cluster, economy will take a jump, and people will believe in the farmland.

Dhankhar urged farmers to stay informed about advancements in technology and its potential benefits. “A farmer is by and large clinging to his tractor. He wants to use the tractor for as long as it can last, ignorant of the fact that new technology is becoming environment-friendly, fuel-efficient, multifunctional, and highly subsidized. There has to be an awareness campaign,” he emphasized.

The Vice President encouraged collective efforts, stating, “Form small groups, market your product at a price of your choice. You don’t need anybody’s help. You only have to know your inner strength to change your economy to a very high level.”

Priyank Bharti, IAS, Administrative Secretary, Technology & Environment, Govt. of Punjab; Prof. Ashwani Pareek, Executive Director, BRIC-NABI; Ekta Vishnoi, IRS, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.