New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the initiative ‘PRAGATI’ to empower 20,000 agri-entrepreneurs and directly support 20 lakh farmers, an official said on Tuesday.

Speaking about the initiative, Chouhan said that the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 cannot be achieved without a developed agricultural sector and prosperous villages.

He said the government’s focus is not limited to increasing agricultural production, but also includes reducing cultivation costs, increasing farmers’ incomes, promoting crop diversification, and making agriculture more profitable.

He emphasised that traditional farming alone is not sufficient for small and marginal farmers. Therefore, promoting value addition, food processing, and agriculture-based entrepreneurship is essential.

He said that PRAGATI is an extension of this vision and will help create pathways to increase farmers’ incomes by connecting them with technology, farm mechanisation, soil health management, and better market access

The PRAGATI programme, designed with the help of several foundations such as the State Bank of India Foundation (SBIF) and the Gates Foundation, aims to catalyse a large-scale, inclusive, and climate-resilient regenerative agriculture initiative to transform smallholder farmers.

The programme has been built on the learnings from prior agri-entrepreneurship initiatives implemented in several states across India.

Monica Bauer, Senior Vice President, Global Social Impact, of a foundation supporting the initiative, said farmers play a vital role in driving local economies, and supporting their livelihoods is essential to building a more resilient food system.

The programme aims to help expand access to the tools and knowledge farmers need to grow more sustainably and help strengthen food systems for generations to come, said her colleague Jagrut Kotecha.

PRAGATI aims to create a nationwide ecosystem of 20,000 agri-entrepreneurs on top of the existing network of 26,000-plus agri-entrepreneurs, with a strong emphasis on inclusive participation and balanced representation within the field.

The programme will be implemented across key agricultural states, including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, the official said.

–IANS

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