We must move from food security to farmer prosperity, says vice president in his address at TNAU

Coimbatore: Innovations and research initiatives must be evaluated based on their impact on farmers, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said here on Sunday.

Addressing on the theme ‘Fostering Agri-Education, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat' at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in the city, Dhankhar said, "We must move from food security to farmer prosperity."

He called for impact-oriented innovations and research. "Are they having ground impact? Therefore, research must be applied. Research must be based on need and must serve a cause that you identify," he said, adding that research must be supported not only by the Centre and state govts but also by industry, trade, business, and commerce.

He emphasized that the farmer must become prosperous, and this evolution must originate from institutions like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

"Farmers should not just be producers and then forget about it. That would mean they painstakingly, tirelessly raise a crop and sell it when the market conditions are right, without holding it. This does not yield much financially," he observed.

"We need farmer entrepreneurs, so that a farmer transforms from being just a producer to a value-adder, starting an industry based on their farm produce," he said.

The Vice-President also emphasized that the farm produce market is gigantic, and when value is added to farm produce, industries will thrive.

He said that the gap between the lab and the land must not merely be bridged, but that there should be a seamless connection between the two.

"Lab and land must be together, and for this, over 730 Krishi Vigyan Kendras must become vibrant centres of interaction with farmers," he said.

He further called for connecting Krishi Vigyan Kendras with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which has over 150 institutions focusing on every aspect of agronomy.