Centre to bear transportation costs for farmers’ produce across country: Union MoS

Shillong: Union minister of state for agriculture and farmer’s welfare Bhagirath Choudhary said about a recent initiative to support farmers in marketing produce such as potato, onion and tomato across the country, with transportation costs being borne by the Centre, thereby facilitating better market access and remunerative prices for farmers.On a visit to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Complex for North-Eastern Hill Region at Umiam in Ri-Bhoi district on Sunday, Choudhary spoke on the importance of promoting ‘natural farming’ to reduce dependency on chemical fertilisers, noting that significant economic burden is posed by fertiliser imports.“Stressing on the need to address emerging challenges posed by climate change, he called for stronger collaboration between scientists and farmers for the development and adoption of climate-resilient crops and innovative technologies,” an ICAR statement said.