‘Making life better for farmers of Maharashtra is Ministry’s prime focus’ says Hon’ble Abdul Sattar, Agriculture Minister, Government of Maharashtra at IMC Agriculture Conference

 by Shrutee K

May 15, 2023: Expert Committee on Agribusiness and Food Processing of IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an apex Chamber of Commerce, Trade and Industry, organized the IMC Agriculture Conference, on May 12, 2023 at IMC Mumbai.  Hon’ble Abdul Sattar, Agriculture Minister, Government of Maharashtra emphasised on adoption of agriculture value system and employment of digital technology. The Minister talked about government’s emphasis on developing cotton, soya, oilseeds value chains. This included allocating INR 1000 cr for improving these value chains from the field through to final consumption. Additionally, Maharashtra Projects on Climate Resilient Agriculture (PoCRA) is working on identifying and bettering climate change-related challenges faced by the sector by introducing Climate Resilient Technologies and Practices.

He added that his Ministry’s focus is to ensure creating agriculture value system such that farmers of the state get better income and are not driven towards committing suicide. He requested IMC for report after the conference on steps that the government should take to achieve no suicide objective.

Shri. Anant Singhania, President, IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry said, “The theme of the seminar “Accelerating the Growth of Integrated Agriculture Value Chains in Maharashtra”  is in sync with IMC's overarching theme of ‘PARTNERING FOR GROWTH'. Unlocking the true potential of agriculture and allied activities requires continued efforts and strategies including infusion of technology in production, processing and supply chain management. IMC is instrumental in planning and providing a platform for the like-minded voices in the agriculture industry to voice its opinions and new strategies for helping the farmers in getting benefits faster and in a transparent manner.”

The conference discussed topics like resilient agriculture, promotion and inclusion of millets, millets research, strategies for cotton and oilseed, technology in farming, different programmes initiated by Government of India for the sector and similar.