Naidu for more 'pro-farmer' policies, says loan waiver not permanent solution

Pitching for more pro-farmer policies, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today said loan waiver is not a permanent solution and in the long-term, it would affect the agriculture sector and "hurt" cultivators.

Claiming that farmers who take up allied activities such as poultry and dairy along with traditional farming, do not commit suicide, he said cultivators must be able to export their produce for better returns.

In many policies, consumers are given more importance because of their large number, but farmers' concerns shouldn't be ignored, Naidu said, adding, "How do we balance the two conflicting interests in practical terms? That is a major challenge."
Admitting that agriculture today is at cross-roads and is facing many challenges, Naidu said, "We need to evolve a multi-pronged strategy to make it viable, profitable and sustainable. That is the purpose of this consultation."
Asserting that market linkage is a major challenge in sustainability of agricultural prices, Fadnavis said, "We have expertise in procurement of agri-produce and today our all warehouses are full of procured produces but we don't know how to sell the produce and we need to work on it."