‘Rural Voice Agriculture Conclave 2024’ to Focus on Institution Building for Farmers

The media platform Rural Voice, dedicated to the prosperity of farmers and rural India, is entering its fifth year. On this occasion, the fourth Rural Voice Agriculture Conclave and NACOF Awards 2024 will be organized on December 23, coinciding with Farmers' Day, at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Building Institutions for Farmers’.

The program will feature prominent attendees, including Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Union Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries Alka Upadhyay, Managing Director of IFFCO Dr. U.S. Awasthi, Chairman of KRIBHCO Dr. Chandrapal Singh, President of the Indian Dairy Association Dr. R.S. Sodhi, former MP and Chief Advisor to the Bihar Chief Minister K.C. Tyagi, and farmers from across the country.  

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Editor-in-Chief of Rural Voice, Harvir Singh, stated that entering its fifth year as a media platform dedicated to farmers and rural India is a significant milestone for Rural Voice. The platform was launched four years ago to highlight issues related to agricultural policies, the rural economy, new technologies, innovations, and farmers' concerns. Since then, ‘Rural Voice Agriculture Conclave and Awards’ have been organised annually on December 23. This year, experts, policymakers, business leaders, and farmer representatives will share their perspectives on various aspects of the theme ‘Building Institutions for Farmers’.

On this occasion, awards will be presented to farmers, cooperatives, private and public institutions for their outstanding contributions to agriculture. The event will also feature the release of the latest issue of the Rural World magazine and its website.  

The first session of the conclave will focus on ‘Next-Generation Cooperatives for Next-Generation Agriculture’, with panelists including KRIBHCO Chairman Dr. Chandrapal Singh, Cooperative Election Authority Chairman Devendra Kumar Singh, Amul Managing Director Jayen Mehta, NFCSF Managing Director Prakash Naiknavare, and NCEL Managing Director Unupom Kausik.  

The second session will discuss ‘Private Sector: Farmers’ Participation’ featuring Ajay Rana (CEO & MD, Savannah Seeds Private Limited), Rajiv Yadav (COO, Agrocorp India Trade Services Private Limited), and Sanjay Gakhar (Vice President, Business Development, MCX of India Ltd).  

In the third session, former Agriculture Secretary Siraj Hussain, former IAS officer Sandeep Kumar Nayak, Bharat Krishak Samaj Chairman Ajayvir Jakhar, and former Director of IARI Dr. A.K. Singh will share their experiences on ‘Public Institutions for Farmers’.

The fourth session will be centered on ‘Enabling Policy Environment for the Growth of Institutions for Farmers’, with contributions from Union Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi, former Agriculture and Food Secretary T. Nand Kumar, Indian Dairy Association President Dr. R.S. Sodhi, and Sahakar Bharati Chief Patron Dr. D.N. Thakur.  

The concluding session will be addressed by Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries Alka Upadhyay, IFFCO Managing Director Dr. U.S. Awasthi, and former MP and Chief Advisor to the Bihar Chief Minister K.C. Tyagi. The conference will focus on strategies to increase farmers' income, provide them with market access, and strengthen institutions that support rural economy development.