Inam Ansari
New Delhi (The Hawk): As per Economic Survey 2022-23, around 65 % of the country's population lives in the rural areas and 47 per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture for livelihood. Agriculture is a time bound activity that requires right agri-inputs at right time to maximise the production and productivity. Agri-inputs are essential ingredients of agriculture and an efficient delivery system of agri-inputs and services play a crucial role in the growth of farm income. In India, network of input services is fragmented and there are separate dealer networks for seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and implements acting in silos promoting their respective interests. In addition, need for testing of soil, seed, fertilizers and information regarding different farmer oriented schemes reaches farmers through different agencies in a disjointed and piece meal manner. This approach fails to provide technology based holistic information to the farmers for taking informed decisions. The solution lies in providing holistic solution to the farmers under one umbrella/ roof backed by government that the farmer can trust and follow. In the past, the private sector has tried to replicate the model of umbrella centres for farmers' inputs and services but more or less those attempts remained unsuccessful. Thus, the idea of transforming the existing fertilizer retail shops that are mostly frequented by farmers into Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendra (PMKSK) , a one-stop shop solution, has come up as a sustainable and long term solution to cater to the needs of the farmers. The programme launched by the Modi Government, has ushered in a revolutionary transformation in the country's agricultural sector.With a vision to empower farmers and boost ...
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