Agri Nation Network

New Delhi | 21 Oct 2017

PM Narendra Modi today asked cooperatives to give solutions on how to double farmers’ income by 2022. He also asked cooperatives to venture into areas like beekeeping and seaweed farming to help farmers double their income by 2022 and push the rural economy. So, far the cooperatives are largely restricted to sugar and dairy sector.

“There is a need to build such cooperatives to ensure better income to farmers”, he said.

He was speaking at the birth centenary of Maharashtra’s cooperative leader and one of the founding fathers of RSS, Laxman Madhav Rao Inamdar. He stressed on the need of keeping the cooperative spirit alive and strengthening it further.

He said, “It is natural for the cooperative sector to grow and shine in India.”

Speaking on the plight of farmers that they have to buy inputs at retail rate and sell their produce at wholesale rates, Modi accentuated the need to set up a mechanism to ensure farmers buy at wholesale rates and sell at retail rates. “The system will eliminate the middlemen and no one can loot the farmers then”, he said.

Inamdar led cooperative movement and formed ‘Sahakar Bharati’ way back in 1979 in Maharashtra.  Later, PM Modi released two books on Inamdar and other nine important leaders of cooperative movement. He also gave momentos to seven cooperatives for excellent work.

Speaking at the function, Union Agri Minister Radha Mohan Singh informed that the government would set up an academy next year on Inamdar in Gurugram.

Ministers of State, Krishna Raj and Gajendra Singh Shekawat, were also present at the occasion.

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