Page 9 - Putting Farmers First
P. 9
Clearly, the recommendations of Dr Swaminathan for improving
agriculture were being implemented in Gujarat by then CM Modi even
if the then government at the Centre was turning a deaf ear.
As a result, production and yields of agricultural crops rose impressively
in Gujarat. For example, the total cereal production rose from 39.92
lakh tonnes to 65.38 lakh tonnes between 1999-2000 and 2016-17,
even as the area in which these crops were sowed reduced from
32 lakh hectares to 28.36 lakh hectares. With these developments,
farmer incomes too grew, contributing to a virtuous cycle of better
income, better inputs, better technology adoption and even better
results. This virtuous cycle wasn’t incidental but was driven by a Chief
Minister who understood farming very closely and worked consciously
to empower farmers.
India Today awarded
Gujarat as Best In
Agriculture under the
then Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi