Agri Minister Chouhan launches PRAGATI plan to train 20,000 rural youth as agri-entrepreneurs

New Delhi, July 7 (PTI) Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday launched a programme to train 20,000 rural youth as agri-entrepreneurs as part of a government push to boost farm incomes and expand private-sector involvement in agriculture. The initiative, called PRAGATI, will be rolled out in eight states -- Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand -- the agriculture ministry said in a statement. Participants will be trained to provide village-level advisory services, soil testing, machinery services, financial linkages and market access, the ministry said. The programme is intended to promote regenerative farming practices and reduce reliance on traditional cultivation methods among smallholder farmers. "PRAGATI is not just a scheme, but a pledge for change," Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said at the launch. "It will become a medium to make villages self-reliant, employable and empowered." The government described the programme as the largest privately-led agri-entrepreneurship effort in the country, with the aim of connecting farmers to technology, mechanisation and markets as climate change puts pressure on the sector. The scheme is backed by a coalition of organisations including the PepsiCo Foundation, the State Bank of India Foundation, the Gates Foundation, IDH, Heifer International, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Global Agri Entrepreneurship Academy, the Sustainable Agriculture Foundation's International Association, the Agri Entrepreneur Growth Foundation and the Transform Rural India Foundation. The ministry said the programme builds on a separate initiative that trained agri-entrepreneurs in 14 states, and aims to add to an existing network of more than 26,000 such entrepreneurs. It said the effort could benefit more than 2 million small and marginal farmers, with a focus on including women. Targets include shifting at least 20 per cent of participating farmers to regenerative practices, raising farmer incomes by at least 30 per cent, and increasing yields of crops including rice, maize and potatoes by 15 per cent to 20 per cent, according to the ministry. Executives from partner organisations said the initiative would help expand financial inclusion and improve productivity in rural India. "PRAGATI is a much-needed intervention that brings together organisations with a shared intent and the expertise to help create new opportunities for farmers and rural entrepreneurs," said Monica Bauer, senior vice president for global social impact at PepsiCo and president of the PepsiCo Foundation. PTI LUX LUX MR