The BRICS TimesPrime Minister Narendra Modi highlights agricultural growth and releases the 21st PM-Kisan installment during the South India Natural Farming Summit in Coimbatore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Coimbatore on Wednesday. He stated that India is quickly becoming a global hub for natural farming. He noted a major shift in the agriculture sector over the last 11 years. Agricultural exports have nearly doubled in this period. He spoke after releasing the 21st installment of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi funds.
The PM transferred over Rs 18,000 crore to bank accounts of nine crore beneficiaries. He called natural farming a subject very close to his heart. He praised the organizers of the event. “I extend best wishes to all farmers of Tamil Nadu for organising the wonderful South India Natural Farming Summit. I was watching the exhibition. I received the opportunity to speak to several farmers,” he said.
PM Modi met farmers with diverse backgrounds. Some were former engineers or had left jobs at NASA to farm. “Someone had pursued Mechanical Engineering, PhD and was then doing farming, someone was doing farming by leaving NASA, they are preparing and training several youth. I accept this publicly, had I not come here to this event, I would have missed a lot in my life. By coming here today, I have learnt a lot. I salute the courage of farmers of Tamil Nadu, I salute their strength to accept change,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister predicted more changes in Indian agriculture soon. He sees youth viewing farming as a modern career. “India is on the path to becoming a global hub for natural farming. Our biodiversity is taking a new shape, the youth of the country are seeing agriculture as a modern, scalable opportunity. This will give a major boost to the rural economy of the country,” he said.
He reiterated the government’s support for modernization. “In the last 11 years, there has been a massive transformation in the entire agriculture sector of the country. Our agricultural export has almost doubled. To make agriculture modern, government has thrown open all paths to support the farmers,” he added.
PM Modi inaugurated the South India National Farming Summit. He inspected an exhibition showcasing crops and products. Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi accompanied him. The summit runs from November 19-21. It is organized by the Tamil Nadu Natural Farming Stakeholders Forum. It aims to promote chemical-free farming practices.
The event focuses on market linkages for farmers and rural entrepreneurs. It showcases organic inputs and eco-friendly packaging. Over 50,000 participants are attending the event. This includes farmers from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, and other southern states. Earlier, PM Modi visited Andhra Pradesh for Sri Satya Sai Baba’s centenary. He spoke there about devotion and service to society.
