Women farmers must be at forefront of agricultural policymaking: RSS leader Ramlal

RSS leader Ramlal emphasized on Wednesday that women farmers must take center stage in agricultural policymaking. He stressed that women have long been integral to Indian agriculture, from planting and harvesting to seed preservation and animal care, yet are often relegated to the roles of agricultural laborers or family helpers in government records and society.

Ramlal pointed out that women are responsible for roughly 60 to 70 percent of the physical labor in agriculture but have been unrecognized as farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs. He called for their legal and social recognition as independent decision-makers, capable of managing their farms with self-reliance and discernment.

As the All-India Sampark Pramukh of the RSS, Ramlal described the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh's (BKS) first national conference of women farmers in Delhi as a step towards empowering women in agriculture and advocating for policy restructuring. He urged both central and state governments to develop policies specifically catering to women farmers, granting them easier access to credit, local processing facilities, and markets for organic produce.

Ramlal firmly stated that rural development success hinges on women's influence. The BKS conference, held against the backdrop of the UN-declared International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, brought together approximately 5,000 women farmers and officials from across India to address issues such as traditional farming practices, Gau-Krishi-Vanijyam (cattle, agriculture, and commerce), and India's path to development by 2047.