Prime Minister Narendra Modi also asked farmers to adopt drip irrigation (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called upon farmers to launch 'sweet revolution' and 'blue revolution' by taking up honey bee farming and optimising use of waterways for transportation.
The prime minister, while addressing a conference of cooperatives at Amreli in Saurashtra, listed various initiatives which the farmers can take up to increase their income.
"After green and white revolution, now it is time for 'blue revolution' and 'sweet revolution'," PM Modi said.
"These two revolutions have the potential to transform the lives of people of Saurashtra," he told the conference after inaugurating the new Amreli Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) building.
Sweet revolution can be an additional source of income for farmers, he said. The prime minister also urged various milk cooperative unions of the state to collect honey from farmers and sell it so that they get good returns.
On 'blue revolution', PM Modi said Gujarat has the largest coastline in the country and the Saurashtra region can benefit heavily from water-based transport.
He said sending goods through waterways can bring down transportation cost. Modi said goods from Saurashtra could be sent to ports in Visakhapatnam or Kolkata.
PM Modi also urged farmers to take up growing timber on the boundaries of their fields. "We have to currently import timber but if our farmers take up timber farming, it will benefit them in the long run," he said.
He also asked farmers to adopt drip irrigation and solar power for drawing underground water, saying it will reduce cost and yield more benefits.
The PM also stressed on cattle rearing and increasing milk productivity in every milch animal.