Indore : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday stated that there is no alternative to food grains and the state government is providing financial support to farmers by adding an extra amount in the central scheme Kisan Samman Nidhi.
The Chief Minister's remarks came while inaugurating the 1st Agriculture Working Group Meeting in Indore. "There can be an alternative to everything in the world, but there is no alternative to food grains, fruits and vegetables. We're providing loans to farmers at zero per cent interest. A fixed amount is being made available to the farmers every year through Kisan Samman Nidhi," Chouhan said.
"In this, Madhya Pradesh has also added its own amount. Its objective is to support the farmer in the cost of farming," he added.
In a social media post, the Chief Minister said that there is a need to make proper use of the agricultural land and make concerted efforts to increase its productivity to meet the needs of food.
"To meet the requirements of food in India, farming has been considered the best work. That's why a large population in India is engaged in agriculture," he said in the post.
"Food security is a very important issue due to the ever-increasing population. Only 12 per cent of the world's land is fit for agriculture. By the year 2030, our food grain demand will be 345 million tonnes. If we have to meet the world's food requirements, we have to increase production as well as welcome new ideas and use technology," the Chief Minister added.
He said that with the excessive use of chemicals and fertilizer, the health of the soil is deteriorating. "To increase the production, we are using chemicals and fertilizers, due to which not only the health of the earth is deteriorating but also the health of human beings is deteriorating. That's why the Prime Minister has launched a campaign of natural farming. Madhya Pradesh is number 1 in organic farming," he said.
"I am sure that this G-20 conference will prove to be very helpful in taking the agriculture sector forward," Chouhan added.