No value addition hurting farmers: President

“It seems that the lack of value addition in the farm sector is the reason for the poor economic health of farmers in our country though state governments as well as the Centre have formulated a number of schemes to uplift their economic condition,” Pranab said while addressing the ‘International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture for Food and Livelihood Security’ at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana. The conference is part of the premier agricultural university’s golden jubilee celebrations.

The President further stated that the government was addressing the problem of food processing. “To address the problem of food processing, the government has planned 30 mega food parks. To compete in the world, however, much needs to be done to avoid the wastage of food grains,” Pranab said before adding that more research was required in this direction to ensure that farmers are self reliant and economically independent.

The President also sought a rethink on the agricultural sector to ensure food security and said a coherent and comprehensive policy, having synergy among various elements, should be put in place.

“We need to do a rethink on agriculture in India. We need to do this urgently to ensure food security in India. We must have in place

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