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Dr. Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has underlined the need for increased use of information technology for improving efficiency in agricultural and traditional industries. Addressing the Valedictory Session of the “ Regional Workshop on Use of Information Technology In Food and Agricultural Marketing in Asia” here today, the Minister said that IT is the source of empowerment of agriculture sector and those sections of population which are traditionally excluded from development. India has to bring in new technologies for addressing the problems and concerns relating to food security in order to sustain the progress that has already been achieved in the field of food management; he said.
Reiterating the commitment of the Government on war against hunger through effective food management, the minister pointed out that the country has gone a long way in achieving self-sufficiency in the area of foodgrains production. The Government of India along with specialized agencies like the Food Corporation of India and the Central Warehousing Corporation is working effectively to protect the interest of farmers. The country has already achieved a qualitative and very effective food storage system in place that ensures safeguarding of the interest of both the farmers and the consumers.
The Minister emphasised the importance of utilization of new technology among the large number of poor and illiterate people to bring about noticeable improvement in the lives of the rural people. Rural areas of the country lagged behind urban areas with respect to physical infrastructure of telecommunication network and the near non-availability of contents in the Indian languages is a major constraint in the effective use of Internet among rural farmers. The Food Ministry has initiated several measures in upgrading the system of monitoring the level of availability of foodgrains in various parts of the country making available details about procurement centres and prevailing rates of foodgrain procurement by government and private agencies. There are other agencies and sectors like National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Limited, Punjab National Bank and ITC which have launched an exclusive website for providing easy information on crop and cultivation for farmers. IT is providing comprehensive details in one go for the farmers to bring improvement in productivity and better price for their products, the minister added.
The Workshop was organized by Food Corporation of India, National Cooperatives Development Corporation (NCDC) and Central Warehousing Corporation.
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