“Technology must spread quickly to enable farmers to harness its potential”

Mumbai: “The entire farming sector needs a new orientation. We need precision in targeting our efforts”, said Vice President, Mr M Venkaiah Naidu on 24th October in Mumbai. He was addressing an International Conference of Asia Pacific Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture (AFITA) and World Congress on Computers in Agriculture (WCCA), organized at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. The theme of the conference was “Research Frontiers in Precision Agriculture”.

“Precision Agriculture or site-specific crop management is the key to optimally manage resources for better yields, reducing pollution and saving environment”, said the Vice President.

He also stated that the huge rural-urban divide cannot be sustained any longer. Technology must spread quickly to the rural population so as to enable farmers to harness its potential.

He further said that state-of-the-art technology must be adopted to make agriculture sustainable and profitable.

This will help in sustaining food security and enhancing livelihood opportunities. He stressed the need for diversification in farming sector, into areas such as fisheries, dairy and poultry to supplement on-farm incomes.

By using the power of technology, farmers’ welfare, which is essential for the overall growth of the Indian economy, has to be ensured. “The Indian farmer should be able to use new tools, new gadgets and make farming more cost-effective; technological tools can help in providing farmers with vital information relating to weather and marketing, which are the two most important factors in ensuring enhanced incomes to farmers”, the Vice President added.

There is a need to increase output per hectare in India as it is low compared to other countries. Mr Naidu said that access to modern technology, judicious use of water, energy and efficient use of various inputs like seeds are needed to enhance productivity. He said it is important to link the forward leap in agricultural productivity with digital applications and technological innovations.

He also stated that the Government has initiated several programmes to make agriculture sustainable and profitable. He said that schemes like PMKSY’s Per Drop More Crop involve precision agriculture practices.