Modi launches DD Kisan channel

New Delhi: Calling for a "big change" in agriculture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched the DD Kisan channel and pitched for increasing average productivity of paddy to three tonnes per hectare from the present two tonnes.

Launching the channel on the first anniversary of his government, Modi said the agriculture sector had been "neglected" and there was need to make the sector "vibrant".

He said 50 percent of farmers would not know if there is an agricultural department of the government.

"There is need for a big change in agriculture... It has been left to the fate of farmers," he said.

Modi said that if the country has to move forward, villages must make progress and if villages are to progress, it was essential for agriculture to grow.

Modi, who was repeatedly cheered by the gathering during his nearly 45-minute speech, gave many suggestions to boost farm income.

"Agriculture should be divided into three parts. Try this experiment and agriculture can be self-sufficient. Keep one-third of field for traditional agriculture, one-third for animal husbandry and one-third for timber," he said.

He said the country has to import timber but lakhs of hectares of land has been wasted due to fences erected by people along their fields.