Dr. Raju Barwale, Managing Director, Mahyco

"We hope the forthcoming budget would give due importance to the agriculture sector and help it to overcome the key challenges to fulfill our food security requirements. It is imperative to provide incentives to bridge the gap between actual and potential yield and leverage technology to improve productivity. The Industry seeks government?s support for creating a productive and enabling environment for agri-business to innovate and produce newer crop technologies, environment and farmer friendly products. The budgetary incentives should also extend to building agri-support infrastructure, creating non - farm employment opportunities for small holding farmers to ensure monetary and social benefits for an all inclusive growth. To usher a second green revolution and fulfill the growing food demand, we need increased investments in agriculture R&D. Encouraging widespread use of promising technologies by larger farmer base is a must for rejuvenating agriculture, ensuring long term solutions to food security and making us self reliant. We need major focus on change enabling initiatives to propel agriculture as the chief contributor to economy and a time bound plan for diversified growth of the farm and allied sectors.”