Kalam urges for 2nd green revolution to prevent farmer suicides

Yavatmal, Maharashtra, June 15 (UNI) President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam has called for a ''second green revolution'' in cotton to help lift cultivators from suicidal tendencies towards prosperity.

Addressing the concluding function of Amolakchand College golden jubilee celebrations here today, Dr Kalam said the second green revolution would involve value-addition to cotton before selling it in national and international markets to ensure prosperity for the cultivator.

Cotton grown by farmers could be converted into yarn, cloth and apparel in the village itself and later marketed in national and international markets while adhering to quality standards of processing, storage, packaging and delivery, he said. This would bring farmers a better price for their produce and eliminate their financial problems, which, in turn, would discourage them from committing suicide, Dr Kalam added.

A similar experiment had been implemented in village Gheri Buttar in Punjab, where cultivators increased the productivity of cotton from 460 kg per acre to 860 kg per acre, the President said.

This had been achieved through a productive partnership between farmers, agricultural scientists, textile industry supervisors and the government by adopting a scientific approach to farming, Dr Kalam said, adding that the programme had also ensured quality of inputs like seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.

''This is a model that is available in the country, which will lift the farmers from problems towards prosperity. Educational institutions, bankers and the administration can replicate this successful experiment in co-operation with agricultural universities to alleviate the suffering of cotton cultivators in the region,'' he added.

Besides cotton, such collaborative ventures of rural development could also be implemented by farmers in the region in other areas of core competence such as soyabean, pulses, vegetables and fruit, the President said.

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