Demanding higher Minimum Support Price (MSP), that will cover the total expenditure incurred on the crops produced, senior Congress leader and former Agriculture Minister Balasaheb Thorat said the government should promote allied businesses to help farmers. Advertising He was speaking at the concluding session of Badalta Maharashtra organised by Loksatta (The Indian Express Group) in Mumbai on Friday. “The government should also consider accommodating farmers in the Smart City project to ensure that the majority population is not dependent on the agriculture sector.” But while doing so, there should be emphasis on promoting agriculture-related projects that would help the farmers earn more and bring stability in their lives, he said. “The prospects of individual investors in the share market is always upward when there is industrial growth. But unfortunately, farmers always live in uncertainty, as they do not fetch good returns for their produce,” Thorat said. He stressed on the need for a market chain to ensure better infrastructure. Advertising He suggested reforms in insurance schemes for farmers. “If farmers get good returns and security, the farmers’ agitation will stop,” he said.

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