Photo: HTNew Delhi: Farmers on Tuesday urged finance minister Arun Jaitley to statutorily ensure income security for them and simultaneously take steps to reduce input costs and thereby make farming profitable. The suggestions from the Consortium of Indian Farmers Associations (CIFA) and agriculture economists was made at the first of the pre-budget consultation. “The median agriculture income is about Rs1,600 per month. Hence the farming community of India demands an Income Security Act for farmers, tenant farmers and farm labourers,” Bojja Dasaratha Rami Reddy, secretary general of CIFA told reporters outside the finance ministry after the meeting. Unless you protect the farm sector with an income security law, the nation’s food security cannot not be ensured,” said Reddy.

Source: Mint December 05, 2017 22:07 UTC