New Delhi, Nov 30 (PTI) Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday stressed on improving the lives of small farmers and said the government is making efforts to boost their income.

The minister was speaking at second FICCI sustainable agriculture summit and awards here.

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Stating that India is primarily an agriculture country, Tomar said it is the duty of the government and people to make farm sector stronger for ensuring food security.

The minister said the government has taken a holistic view on the agriculture sector in the last eight years and taken several measures to boost productivity and production of agriculture crops.

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The government is also making efforts to reduce input cost and increase the income of the farmers, he added.

Tomar pointed out that 86 per cent of the total farmers are small and marginal ones.

"There is a need to improve their situations," he emphasised.

To boost the income of small farmers, the minister highlighted that the government is setting up 10,000 Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs) and has also announced an infrastructure fund of Rs 1 lakh crore. New schemes with huge central outlays have been introduced for the animal husbandry sector.

The Centre, Tomar said, is providing farm loan worth Rs 18 lakh annually at a subsidised interest rate.

The minister said the government is also focusing on introducing new technologies in the farm sector.

He highlighted that the ministry has already issued standard operating procedures for usage of drone technology in the agriculture sector.

The government is also trying to promote organic and natural farming so that the use of chemicals is reduced in the farm sector.

Tomar highlighted that the youth are now getting attracted towards agriculture because of the reforms taken by the government during the last eight years to make Indian agriculture profitable.

Today, Tomar said, an educated youth are confident that they can earn money in agriculture sector.

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