Farmers in dismal state: Harsimrat Kaur

Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur today admitted that farmers are in a "dismal" state across the country in the wake of rising input costs and poor returns.
Therefore, she emphasised on the need to tie up farming with food processing industry, which would not only create jobs but also upgrade farmers and their income to a large extent.
"Today, farmers' plight in our entire country is rather dismal where the cost of inputs have gone up but the output is not bringing in the kind of income required. Added to this, we have weather playing havoc every year," Kaur said at a WEF meeting here.

She said that the cooperation between the farming and food processing industry is where the industry will put in the resources required in the agriculture sector and the assured raw material from farmers will drive the industry.
Kaur further said that agriculture sector has the potential not only to drive the economy, but linked with food processing, it can actually play the catalytic role to uplift agriculture, farmers and add to his income.
The food processing industry, which is at a nascent stage, has the potential to catapult this entire sector into addressing not just bringing down inflation but also creating jobs, increasing farmer income and reducing wastage, she added.

"If these wastages were controlled, it would bring down inflation and I genuinely believe that more the food processing industry explodes or expands and progresses, it will not only create lots of jobs, but will actually upgrade the farmers and his income to a large extent," she added.