Agriculture: After sugarcane price hike, PM Modi says committed to farmers’ welfare
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi/Ahmedabad: Amid the Punjab farmers’ ongoing agitation on Haryana borders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday his government, which has just increased the minimum price that sugar mills have to pay to sugarcane growers, is committed to the welfare of all farmers in the country.
After a Cabinet meeting, chaired by PM Modi, hiked the minimum price that mills have to pay to sugarcane growers by Rs.25 to Rs. 340 per quintal for the 2024-25 season starting October, he underlined his government’s commitment to fulfilling its pledge for the welfare of farmers, asserting that a “historic” hike in sugarcane’s price is part of such efforts.
This will benefit crores of sugarcane farmers, he said in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, highlighting the decisions taken by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday.
An official statement said, “The new fair and remunerative price (FRP) will ensure the prosperity of sugarcane farmers. It is noteworthy that India is already paying the highest price of sugarcane in the world and despite that, the government is ensuring the world’s cheapest sugar to domestic consumers.”
Reacting to other Cabinet decisions, PM Modi said the step taken by it relating to the National Livestock Mission will bring exciting opportunities for entrepreneurs alongside major boosts in fodder production and breed conservation.
The government modified the National Livestock Mission by including various activities and providing a 50 percent capital subsidy to individuals and organizations for establishing horse, donkey, mule, and camel entrepreneurship.
On Thursday, PM Modi also gave a new target to Amul producers to make it the world’s biggest dairy company.
Speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets its products under the Amul brand, in Ahmedabad, he said: “While the global dairy sector is developing at 2 percent per annum, India’s dairy sector is developing at 6 percent.”
“Today Amul (GCMMF) is the eighth largest dairy company in the world. Your target is to make it number one. The government will give all its support. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.
Addressing thousands of milk farming members of the GCMMF from across Gujarat, PM Modi said after India’s independence many brands were created, but none of them is like ‘Amul’.
Lauding the contribution of women in the White Revolution, he also said that the contribution of women is paramount in the development of the country’s dairy cooperative movement.
“India’s dairy sector has seen women-led development…women are the backbone of the dairy sector,” he added.
