Deepak Pareek, Chief Growth Officer, Suumaya Agro Limited,
“This is an extremely progressive agricultural budget. The government has followed through on its promises. Millets are a superfood, and with 2023 being the International Year of Millets, the plan to establish a center of excellence is a fantastic idea. It will aid in raising productivity, resulting in more adoption by farmers. Another encouraging step is the establishment of 100 labs in engineering colleges for developing apps employing 5G services. To realize a new variety of options, economic models, and employment potential, laboratories will cover, among other things, precision farming apps, which are critical for agricultural technology change. This will be bolstered further by the proposed Agri Accelerator Fund. The budget clearly demonstrates a focus on technology, innovation, and startups. This will unlock the sector’s potential and remove obstacles. Credit is the most significant input in agriculture, and the allocation of Rs 20 lakh crore for agricultural credit, an increase of 11% over the previous year, is a well-thought-out approach to boosting the sector’s performance. The government’s plan to build a vast decentralized storage capacity will assist farmers in storing their crops and obtaining fair pricing. This will be a game changer for farmers in terms of revenue. The Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture will be constructed as an open source, open standard, interoperable public good, enabling inclusive farmer-centric solutions and assisting with enhanced access to farm inputs, market knowledge, and support for agribusinesses and agri-based startups. Over the next three years, one crore farmers will be assisted in making the switch to natural farming. 10,000 bio-input resource centers will be established. This will assist in reducing global fertilizer imports while also supporting the agricultural biotechnology industry and making agriculture more sustainable.”