Narendra Modi says linked farm programs mean "farmers get multiple sources of income"

Speaking at an agriculture conference in New Delhi organized by the India Today Group on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the farm sector had grown above 4% a year over the previous decade, a pace he said had not been sustained since the country became independent. He cited a World Bank report stating that 50 crore people had left poverty in 12–13 years, with the sharpest reduction in villages, and said many smallholders were among them. He also urged farmers not to rely solely on wheat, rice and sugarcane, and presented linked farm programs, including solar pumps and farmer producer organizations, as ways to strengthen rural livelihoods. His remarks framed his government’s agricultural record and its case for diversified, modern farming.