Farmers must turn entrepreneurs, make TN pioneer in agro-tech: Minister

Inaugurating the sixth edition of AgriCon 2018 Conference on Precision Agriculture Technologies organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here, he said the State would have close to 5,000 enterprises, each consisting of 15 members, for the ultimate creation of 75,000 entrepreneurs who would contribute to the significant growth of the farm industry. 

The Minister also said that the state would be conducting a two-day session for farmers to get themselves acquainted with the current technology in farm production besides making them the engines of growth in one way or the other. 

Pandiarajan added that Tamil Nadu would soon overtake Maharashtra and Gujarat in farm production in line with Vision 2023 document which carried with it an agenda to make the farmers as part of the second green revolution in the state and the country. 

“Tamil Nadu will be a pioneer in adopting the latest technology in agriculture,” the Minister said and added that the State would extend funds on farm-related research activities, besides partnering with an industry body like the CII in terms of domain building in agriculture sector. 

A Padmasingh Isaac, Chairman & MD, Aachi Group of Companies, said food processing industry has enormous job opportunities and Tamil Nadu can easily become the food factory of the world what with its expertise in new farm technology and marketing enterprise. 

Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd (TAFE), India’s second largest tractor manufacturer,  had recently launched SMART, an electronic hydraulic system for tractors, which offers high precision capabilities. “This is immensely helpful when it comes to ploughing and operating under different farm and nonfarm conditions,” R Murali Krishnan, Sr Vice President, Product Management, TAFE Ltd, said. Last year, the city based company launched JFarm Services– a mobile app-based aggregator platform which facilitates hiring of tractors and modern farm machinery for farmers. Originally launched in Rajasthan, today the app has close to 15,000+ farmers enrolled in states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. “As many as 13,000+ orders have been serviced with farmer entrepreneurs,” he added.