Farmers will also be energy provider in future: Gadkari

Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari was addressing a gathering in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district

Advising farmers to be in sync with changing times, Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said besides being food provider farmers will also be energy provider in future. Besides, Gadkari called upon leaders to work with utmost honesty. He said there was no dearth of money in the country but shortage was of leaders who worked with honesty.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari waves at farmers during an animal fair and agricultural exhibition in Muzaffarnagar on April 6. (PTI photo)

He expressed these views while addressing a gathering after inaugurating two-day All-India cattle exhibition and agriculture fair in Muzaffarnagar on Thursday. He said the farmers used to commit suicide in his area (Maharashtra) but situation there was changing now.

Speaking about sugarcane farmers of western Uttar Pradesh, the minister said they were in trouble because of low price of sugar. They needed to encourage production of ethanol instead of sugar, he added. “This will make farmers happy and wealthy. Farmers will be energy provider because ethanol, compressed natural gas (CNG) and hydrogen will be used in vehicles in future,” Gadkari said.

The Union minister said India will export energy and farmers needed to change ways of farming using nano urea and drones. He also stressed improving quality of cattle saying, “country can’t be self-dependent if farmers are not happy”.

Speaking on the occasion, Union minister Parshottam K Rupala said, “Cow will be at the centre stage in the country. The economy will be based on cows.” Union minister of state for fisheries and animal husbandry Sanjeev Balyan said the cattle fair was the first-of-its-kind organised by the government of India.

Union minister of state for road transport and highways General VK Singh, Uttar Pradesh ministers Jitin Prasada, Kapil Dev Agarwal, Dharampal Singh and MP Satish Gautam also addressed the gathering. Over 50,000 cattle keepers and farmers are expected to take part in the fair that will conclude on Friday.