Page 9 - Putting Farmers First

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