NEW DELHI: RSS leader Ramlal described the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh’s first national conference of women farmers as a symbol of women’s growing role in Indian agriculture and a platform to advocate changes in agricultural policies, according to the PTI report.Speaking at the event, RSS All-India Sampark Pramukh Ramlal said around 5,000 women farmers and office-bearers from across the country, including states such as Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, travelled to Delhi at their own expense to participate in the All India Women Farmers’ Workers Conclave held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.RSS leader Ramlal, who attended the conference, said women farmers should have a central role in decision-making on issues related to sustainable agriculture and the development of rural economies.In a statement, the RSS All-India Sampark Pramukh said “women should receive legal and social recognition not just as agricultural workers but as farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs capable of making independent decisions with self reliance and discernment.”He congratulated the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) for highlighting women’s empowerment and called on other organisations to draw lessons from such efforts.Ramlal said the women who travelled to Delhi at their own expense and raised the slogan, “We, the women of India, will bring prosperity”, had added a new sense of pride and dignity to the term “Annadata” (food provider). He said their participation could mark the beginning of a significant transformation towards a healthier and more prosperous future for the country.He noted that women have traditionally played an important role in Indian agriculture, from sowing and harvesting crops to preserving indigenous seeds and rearing livestock.According to Ramlal, women perform nearly 60 to 70 per cent of the physical work associated with agriculture. However, he said they have often been classified in society and official records merely as agricultural labourers or family helpers.The conference, organised under the guidance of the women’s wing of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, sought to change this perception and ensure women farmers receive recognition, dignity and self-respect, he said.Ramlal said the event, held against the backdrop of the United Nations’ declaration of 2026 as the “International Year of the Woman Farmer”, was more than an organisational gathering but it was more of a manifestation of the women empowerment in Indian agriculture. He described it and a call for changes in agricultural policies.
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He said participants discussed the role of traditional farming in achieving the vision of a developed and healthy India by 2047, with “Gau-Krishi-Vanijyam” (cattle, agriculture and commerce) also featuring in the deliberations.Opposition to genetically modified (GM) seeds and gene-editing technology was another key issue discussed at the conference, Ramlal said.The conference identified five key areas: toxin-free farming and cow-based organic agriculture, nutritious food, disease-free living, an addiction-free society and remunerative prices for agricultural produce, he said.Ramlal also urged the Centre and state governments to put women farmers at the centre of policymaking and design schemes according to their requirements. He called for easier access to credit, local processing facilities and better avenues for marketing organic products.He said existing policies often focus on corporate and chemical-based farming, while arguing that women’s participation is crucial to rural development.
