Nagpur: Union minister Nitin Gadkari, while addressing an event organised by the Agrovision Committee on Saturday, urged entrepreneurs to start cow farms in every district of Vidarbha to boost dairy business.
Gadkari said out-of-the-box thinking is needed to move up the value chain and produce those raw materials which are in demand. Gadkari said, “We set up Mother Dairy here, and that has benefited local dairy businesses.Earlier, locals would get Rs 18-20 per litre, but now, due to Mother Dairy, competition has increased, and they are getting a minimum Rs 30 per litre.”
The Nagpur MP said the company managed by his sons suffers losses to the tune of crores of rupees annually in the sugarcane farming business. Gadkari said, “Sugarcane business is where I got my fingers burned. You would not believe it, but we lose Rs 30 crore annually here. And it’s been now how many years? (asks someone off stage) Yes, 20 years. Now only going bankrupt is remaining. They say we must stop the business, but I told them not to do it. I am now taking over the fourth sugar factory so that it will help the growers. I came into this segment because I wanted farmers to benefit.”
Gadkari said, “We must identify where opportunities lie. Once that is done, we should make efforts with the mindset that success will follow. Agrovision is now in its 15th year. Over these fifteen years, with everyone’s cooperation, we overcame adverse conditions and earned recognition as the largest agricultural exhibition in central India. Farmers have played a major role in this success.”
