Rajasthan seeks private capital, tech to boost farming

The three-day Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM) 2016 began in the capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur on Wednesday. GRAM 2016 exposed the farming communities to the technological advancements and global best practices and showcase investment opportunities in the state to agri-business communities across the world. 

‘GRAM’ is jointly organized by the Government of Rajasthan and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). In its debut year, Israel is the partner country for the event. The mega event witnessed the participation of around 50,000 farmers.

 The primary objective of GRAM is to ensure economic empowerment of the farmers through accelerated yet sustainable growth in agriculture. In addition to farmers, the global event showcased global best practices and best of technologies suited to the agro-climatic conditions of Rajasthan. 

At the Inaugural Session, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje said, “Farmers have always been at core of our policy and planning. In the recent years, we have focused on sustainability and innovation on the farm and made policy, technological and infrastructural interventions for enhancement of long term farm productivity. 

We actively seek private partnership in terms of knowledge, technology and investment to transform this sector to create and sustain an Evergreen Revolution. GRAM offers an opportunity for our farming community to be exposed to some of the best technologies and innovations from all over the world”. 

It will also be an important platform for investors, manufacturers, academicians and researchers. The event is focussing on Farmer Empowerment, showcase Agri-Innovations, Marketing Tie-Ups, Joint Ventures, Technology Transfers, International Investments, Business Opportunities, Encourage Agribased Research and Common Platform for Agri and Allied Ecosystem, Smart City.  

The exhibition will be one of the main features of the GRAM. The exhibition area has been divided into various categories like Livestock, Post Harvest Technologies, Agri Inputs & Protected Cultivation, 

Organic farming, Food & Food Processing Technologies, Farm Machinery, Implements and Allied Service, Financial Instituion, Irrigation, Plasticulture and Precision Farming. 

To promote agri-entrepreneurship a special pavilion on startups has been setup. There is a special pavilion on organic farming as well to promote herbal and medicinal plans. Delegates of Australia, The Netherlands and Israel are participating in ‘GRAM’. This event is a platform to exchange and learn modern and hi-techniques used by these countries in the Agriculture and Allied sectors.

Prabhu Lal Saini, Agriculture Minister and Animal Husbandary of Government of Rajasthan, observed that in keeping with the Prime Minister’s vision of doubling the income of farmers by 2022, the State Government had initiated several steps to help farmers grow high value added crops, through systematic and aggressive marketing and other farmer-friendly policies.

He expressed confidence that these steps would enable the State to over-achieve the target of raising farm incomes. He said that NITI Aayog had ranked Rajasthan third, after Maharashtra and 

Gujarat in the area of agricultural reform.