Pune, May 21 (IANS) The felicitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) with its highest honour ‘Agricola Medal’ during his visit to Italy, has been hailed by farmers as a “proud and memorable moment” for the entire farming community.

Farmers across the country are praising the Narendra Modi government over its commitment and resolve to bring notable change in farmers’ life as well as their income, and saw the international honour as a recognition of that effort.

Bharat Dighole, the President of Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers’ Association, on Thursday expressed joy and elation over the development.

“We, the farmers of Maharashtra, welcome this honour for Prime Minister and also extend our best wishes to him. In Maharashtra, crops like onions, grapes, and sugarcane are grown, soybean and many other crops are cultivated here, and farming is done on a large scale. On behalf of all these farmers, we extend our gratitude to the Prime Minister.”

Notably, PM Modi was conferred with the prestigious Agricola medal by the FAO in Rome on Wednesday, in recognition of his contribution to food security and promotion of sustainable agriculture practices.

In Pune, many farmers heaped praise on PM Modi’s long-sighted vision for agriculture, including introduction of modern techniques, assistance of farmers with schemes like PM-KISAN and also over global food security initiatives.

Haji Nazim Sheikh, a local farmer in Pune, said that whenever Prime Minister embarks on foreign tours and speaks about Indian agriculture, farmers, and agricultural produce, it sends a positive message across the entire world.

Speaking to IANS, Haji Nazim Sheikh said that India is primarily considered an agrarian country and with Prime Minister Modi emphasising on agriculture as a key drive of nation’s growth, the farmers are bound to benefit in the long term, from this thrust.

He voiced optimism about momentous change in India’s agrarian sector in the years to come and said that the recognition for the Prime Minister was an acknowledgement of this shift.

Haji Nazim Sheikh also praised the Prime Minister’s vision for promoting coarse cereals and ‘millets’ such as Bajra, Jowar, and Ragi on a global scale.

He said that it was because of PM Modi’s concrete efforts that the traditional staple food has today found its way to dining tables across the globe.

“Prime Minister Modi has consistently championed India’s cause on global platforms. It’s because of this that the United Nations declared 2023 as ‘International Year of Millets’,” he added.

–IANS

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