PM Narendra Modi on Saturday did country-wide launch in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations, aimed at providing small farmers a platform to collectively tackle their challenges right from accessing various agricultural inputs to marketing their produce.
These FPOs will turn farmers into businessmen, said Prime Minister Modi after effecting the launch of the novel cooperative platforms for farmers, 86 percent of which fall into small and marginal category, each having less than 1.1 hectare of landholding.
PM Modi said that “Moments ago 10,000 FPOs were launched. They will work to increase farmers’ income and empower them.
Exuding confidence that the project will ensure a better future for farmers, he said farmers were only producer till now but through the FPOs, they will now be able to negotiate the price of their produce with traders and do business.
While talking of possible positive changes that FPOs, he hoped, would usher in farmers’ lives, the prime minister also urged the audience not to rush back after the programme, and visit the exhibition of successful FPOs instead.
Further he said “I saw the exhibition. My heart swelled after seeing how our farmers work. You must visit and see what wonders they have created through FPOs in their states.”
“It is an important milestone in the journey of increasing farmers’ income,” he said.
Referring to the PM-KISAN Yojana, which completed one year today, he said, “Attempts were made to raise doubts a year ago, when the scheme was launched. But, in a short time span, almost 8.50 crore farmers’ families have got a total of Rs 50,000 crore directly in their bank accounts. Nearly Rs 12,000 crore has been deposited in accounts of over two crore farmers’ families in UP itself”.
“Can you imagine that Rs 50,000 crore have been deposited directly in farmers’ bank accounts in a single year and, that too, without any broker and without any discrimination?” Prime Minister Modi asked
“In coming times, grameen haat (village markets) will become new centres of agriculture economy,” he said, adding that FPOs would impart collective bargaining power to farmers and help them secure a fair price for their produce.
The prime minister also talked of his government’s plan to enhance the spread of FPOs to the block levels, specially in tribal regions and “100 aspirational districts” like Chitrakoot.“This was the Gandhiji’s ‘parikalpanaa’ (vision) of ‘gram swaraj’,” he said.
