Naidu to inaugurate conference on agriculture

Agriculture experts and economists will deliberate upon an agricultural trade policy and transfer of technology from labs to land at a conference in Pune tomorrow that will be inaugurated by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.

Former Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar will also attend the two-day conference.

The deliberations on agriculture at the conference will result in practical recommendations to fine tune existing policies and programmes to enhance farmers' income, the vice-president's office said in a statement.

The vice president will also attend the two-day National Consultation on Making Agriculture Sustainable and Profitable', which is being organised by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA).

Naidu, as Vice-President is chairman of the institute.

The concept paper prepared by IIPA for the event, refers to the need for further improving policies and programmes to transform farmers' lives.

Experts and agri-economists at the conference will deliberate upon creating an enabling policy framework, agricultural trade policy, transfer of technology from labs to land and agricultural credit and insurance, it added.

The conference on farm sector issues is the second in the Swarajya to Surajya' series of national consultations initiated by the IIPA on the behest of vice president.

The first one on Strengthening of Local Self Governments' was held in March this year in Hyderabad.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh, agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan, economist Ashok Gulati, farm scientists, representatives of farmers unions, CII, FICCI and other stakeholders will also attend the event.