"Educate, Empower and Encourage Farmers, that's our mission"

Ravindra Boratkar is not only the Publisher of AgroSpectrum and Organising Secretary of Agrovision, but also a practising agriculturist who has been experimenting with new methods on his farm on the outskirts of Nagpur. Since its inception, Agrovision has been run by him as its main organiser. In this interview, he talks about the fundamental concept behind Agrovision, the transformation it has brought about among farmers in the Vidarbha region, and more. Edited excerpts:

RAVINDRA BORATKAR, Organising Secretary, Agrovision; Publisher & Managing Editor, AgroSpectrum

How has Agrovision contributed to the growth of agriculture and allied industry in the Vidarbha region in the past 14 years?

Agrovision has always aimed to inform, uplift, and empower farmers through free workshops, exhibitions, expert panel discussions and conferences. The workshops are one of the main attractions of the event, where thousands of farmers attend, share ideas and have the chance to meet experts to find solutions to their problems.

At workshops, experts from allied sectors such as poultry, goat farming and dairy development share the advantages and benefits of these new areas to farmers. We received encouraging results from the farmers toward workshops. Starting with dairy development, we have been covering more topics such as horticulture, poultry and other allied sectors for the benefit of the local farming community. Several farmers have turned towards dairy as an additional source of income. This has resulted in more milk production in Vidarbha region.

Agrovision has been a pioneer in holding workshops for farmers since 2007. Following the success of Agrovision in holding workshops on topics of farmers' interest, other event organisers on agriculture across the country started conducting workshops, which has ultimately resulted in benefiting the ‘Anna data’ of the nation.

Agrovision National Exhibition showcases new products, services and various schemes of state and central government to a large number of visiting farmers, gives opportunity to all the stakeholders in agriculture and allied sector to connect.