Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that various initiatives launched by the union government have reduced risks for farmers and provided them with basic economic security, while emphasising that agriculture will remain a key pillar of India’s long-term development strategy.
Speaking at the third post-Budget webinar focused on agriculture and rural prosperity, the prime minister highlighted the impact of flagship welfare schemes and called for greater efforts to transform the farm sector through diversification, exports and sustainable practices.
“Various government schemes have lowered risks for farmers and given them basic economic security,” Modi said, adding that the Centre had disbursed more than Rs 4 lakh crore to farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.
The prime minister stressed that agriculture plays a strategic role in India’s development journey and said policy efforts would continue to focus on increasing farmers’ income and strengthening the rural economy. “Agriculture is a strategic pillar for India’s long-term development journey,” he said.
Highlighting the government’s emphasis on rural prosperity and women’s empowerment, Modi said the country aims to significantly expand the number of rural women earning sustainable incomes through self-help groups. “Our government is focused on rural prosperity, and India has set a goal to add another three crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ by 2029,” he said, referring to the initiative aimed at helping women from self-help groups earn an annual income of at least Rs 1 lakh.
Modi also underlined the importance of crop diversification to enhance farmers’ earnings and ensure sustainable agricultural growth. “We are focusing on crop diversification and need to encourage states to increase their focus on the farm sector,” he said.
Calling for a shift towards environmentally sustainable farming methods, the prime minister said India must strengthen chemical-free and natural farming practices, particularly with an eye on global markets.
“We need to strengthen chemical-free farming and natural farming with a focus on exports,” he said.
He further stressed the need to expand high-value agriculture while improving quality, branding and standards of Indian agricultural products. According to the prime minister, these steps would help make the sector more competitive globally and open up new opportunities for farmers.
“India’s agriculture sector needs to become more export-oriented,” Modi said, urging farmers and stakeholders to take advantage of the country’s diverse climate conditions that allow the cultivation of a wide variety of crops.
The government has been promoting several programmes in recent years aimed at boosting farm incomes, improving rural infrastructure and expanding agricultural exports. Initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme provide direct income support to small and marginal farmers, while other programmes focus on crop insurance, irrigation, digital agriculture and the promotion of natural farming.
The post-Budget webinars are part of the government’s efforts to engage stakeholders and discuss the effective implementation of key announcements made in the union Budget, particularly those related to agriculture, rural development and inclusive economic growth.
