Budget 2017 to drive growth in rural India: Monsanto India

Shilpa Divekar Nirula, CEO, Monsanto India Region "The Union Budget 2017 has focused on India’s agriculture sector and the country's farmers to drive growth in rural India while continuing to propel the nation’s economic engine.

Credit is an important input to improve agricultural output and productivity and attempts to expand farm credit across rural India is a welcome move. In addition, increased facilities for irrigation through the “Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana”, a dedicated irrigation fund, augmented access to crop insurance under the “Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana” are admirable interventions aimed at doubling farmer income. Irrigation and farm credit remain key pillars that will strengthen farm productivity, help in managing risks and maintain the uptrend in the agriculture sector’s growth.  We look forward to effective implementation of these announcements and remain confident that the government will enable a policy environment which will keep the best interests of India’s farmers in mind."