Dhanuka Agritech felicitates farmers for innovative farming

New Delhi: Dhanuka Agritech honored 32 farmers Thursday here at National Agricultural Science Complex (NASC) for their innovative farming techniques. The company has started the Dhanuka Innovative Agriculture Award (DIAA) from this year to recognize farmers who adopt innovative techniques and contribute for the food security of the nation.

All 32 awards were given to farmers in various categories for adopting and practicing innovative farming techniques. Twelve farmers received Innovative Farmers Award and one farmer received ‘Farmer of the Year’ Award with cash award of 1.00,000 for his outstanding contribution to agriculture. Eight awards were given in the water and rainwater harvesting categories to farmers and institutions, two awards were given for best working innovative technology in agriculture to both KVK’s and agriculture universities (national and state level). Also, four awards were given for innovation in extension service to dealers and distributors.

Nominations were invited in different categories from individual and institutions that made outstanding Contributions to Indian Agriculture and increased their produce and income. The five jury member consisted of eminent agricultural scientists representing the National Agricultural Research System ensured independent evaluation of the winners. A total of 4,466 applications were received from all over the country, and 2,558 were accepted for final review.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Kailash Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare said, “We appreciate Dhanuka Agritech’s efforts of creating such platform which will inspire farmers and motivate them towards innovative farming. All the farmers should learn from them to become sole owner of their crops and the farmer should be able to fix the price of his crop. Going forward our farmers should be rich and should be in the position to give loan rather than taking it”.

Shri R.G. Agarwal, Chairman, Dhanuka Agritech Limited who was also present at the event, said, “They have instituted these awards to felicitate the innovative farming community. There effort is to encourage farmers and the agricultural community to share their practices and to enhance crop productivity and their income. There are many awards in various categories but for farmers there are not such awards, so their company took this initiative seeing the future need of Water & Food Security”.

Shri Ashok Dalwai, CEO, National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India said, “Now they are thinking to secure that community who has made our country food secure and will emphasize on income security of farmer friends. Unless they have secured the aim of food and nutrition security, feed and fodder security and ecology security. All the knowledge, science, policies needs to be reoriented to benefit them and should have the capacity to do it. Green revolution must not be perceived negatively and they should take lessons from milk revolution of the country. He told that after income security, there next step will be to make farmers the businessman who works for profit and that will be done though policy and other changes”.

Among others, Mr. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Jal Shakti and Mr. Kailash Choudhary, Union Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare had graced the occasion and given away awards to farmers.

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