Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, Narendra Singh Tomar, today stressed on the need for coordinated and comprehensive efforts across various ministries and industries to realise the true potential of India, especially in the agriculture sector.
Addressing day-2 of ‘INDIA CHEM 2022’, organised by FICCI, in New Delhi, jointly with the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Govt of India; Tomar highlighted that chemicals play a very important role in our lives. In the past eight years, the government has tried to identify not just the problems but their solutions as well. The government has already abolished over 1400 laws and working to provide ease of doing business for the Indian industry, he added.
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The agriculture minister stated, “Agriculture sector is a very diversified sector and is the strength for India. This is our fundamental pillar and for the nation to grow, we need to focus on the fundamental pillar (agriculture),” he added. He also stressed on the need to adopt a consultative approach while drafting any policy benefiting the industry and the economy. He invited the industry to come forward to share the challenges faced. “The government is committed to the development of not just a few but all sectors to ensure India becomes a developed nation by the time India celebrates its 100 years of independence”, he emphasised.
Speaking at the occasion, Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India said that Indian agriculture is changing with time and this there is a need to adopt newer technology and equipment. We need to have a balanced approach to using pesticides. The government is working in collaboration with the industry to solve the bottlenecks faced by the sector, he added.
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Speaking on the potential of the agrochemical sector, Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare said that India could become a global player in the agrochemical sector and there is a potential to increase our exports by 10 times. “We have to bring ease of doing business along with regulations and create a right balance which will benefit the industry and the country,” he added. Ahuja stated that India has around 2,000 agri startups along with medium-large scale industries and we need to provide an integrated package to the farmers to resolve their issues. Our long-term vision is to make India a global player in the agrochemical sector along with increasing farmers’ productivity, he highlighted.
Arun Baroka, Secretary (Chemicals and Petrochemicals), Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers said that the Indian chemicals sector is growing around 1.5 per cent more than the nation’s GDP. “Agrochemicals are very important for the economy, hence there is a need for optimum use of fertilisers for human safety and environment,” he added.
Vikram Shroff, Director, UPL said that India has the opportunity to provide food to the world. India is the 2nd largest producer of food in the world, and we have sustainable agriculture. India will see more investments in chemicals and agrochemicals.
Simon Thorsten Wiebusch, Executive Director, Bayer CropScience & Country Division Head, Crop Science division of Bayer in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka said that image building for agriculture and the industry both within India and globally is very important. We must ensure access to newer digital including chemical and trade technologies to Indian farmers to make us globally competitive.
