Overview

• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar emphasized the need to transition India's agricultural agenda from food security to farmer prosperity, highlighting the importance of increasing farmer incomes eightfold by 2047 to achieve a USD 30 trillion economy.
• India has evolved from a foodgrain importer to a net exporter, with agricultural products now accounting for over 11% of total exports, underscoring the sector's potential for further growth.
• Dhankhar called for bridging the gap between research and practical application, urging institutions like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Krishi Vigyan Kendras to strengthen lab-to-land connections to directly benefit farmers.
• The Vice President advocated for curriculum reforms to transform farmers into entrepreneurs and value-adders, while stressing the need for increased corporate investment, agri-startups, and direct benefit transfer schemes like PM-Kisan Nidhi.
• He underscored the importance of innovation, research, and value addition at the farm level to address structural inefficiencies, which currently see agriculture engaging 46% of the population but contributing only 16% to GDP.