Winding up a discussion in the Lok Sabha on agricultural profession, Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat said farming was still a respectable profession in the country despite several issues and shortcomings.
"Only 2 per cent of farmers said there was a lack of status in agriculture...We still feel a sense of pride in being called the son of a farmer," Rawat said, citing a government survey. 8 per cent of the people had called the profession risky. However, 27 per cent of the farmers surveyed by NSSO said agriculture is loss-making.
Enumerating various measures being taken by the government to deal with the problems in agriculture, Rawat said today the country is able to meet about 75-80 per cent of its requirement of pulses when just a few years ago a major share was imported.
"The MSP for paddy has been increased by 93 per cent of the 2004-05 rates, of Arhar by 130 per cent, of Urad by 134 per cent and Moong dal by 148 per cent," Rawat said.
He maintained that storage facilities for grains were much better today. He said FDI in retail would have strengthened the cold storage chains and given an impetus to food processing.
Farmer suicides have come down, he claimed and said the statistics being cited included all cases of deaths of farmers and not just suicides due to debt.
He said the debt waiver to farmers in 2008 had benefited a large number of farmers. Banks are being encouraged to reduce interest rates for farm loans, he said. (MORE)