Paani Foundation Hosts Grand “Farmer Cup” Prize Distribution Ceremony In Pune
The Chief Guest for this event was the Hon’ble Deputy CM of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis. Many luminaries from the fields of business, politics and arts also joined the ceremony. The highlight of the event was a “Powada” (folk song and dance), performed by Shahir Avdhoot Gandhi, and accompanied by noted dancer Ms. Phulawa Khamkar and her troupe, to honour the work done by the farmers.
Written by Vaibhav Hiwase with Suresh Bhatia and Christopher Rego as Directors of the show, the song was specially composed for this event by musician duo Rahul Khade and Tejas Kale, of the group Sameehan. The 35-minute Powada performance received a thunderous applause and standing ovation from the audience.
Shri Devendra Fadnavis, congratulated all the participating farmer collectives in his speech. He emphasised on how collectivisation in farming is the key to tackling inflation, climate change and market uncertainties. He also urged the collectives to look beyond subsidies, and focus on creating self-sustaining and profitable farmer producer companies.
Paani Foundation’s Founders, Mr. Aamir Khan and Ms. Kiran Rao also congratulated the farmers in their speeches. Mr. Khan appreciated the unity of the farmers and encouraged them to participate in Farmer Cup 2023 with even more gusto. Ms. Rao specially mentioned the contribution of women farmers and young farmers who participated in the competition.
Mr. Vilas Shinde, the Chairman of Sahyadri Farms, shared his thoughts on the importance of farmer producer companies. In a conversation with Mr. Khan, Padma Shri Popatrao Pawar spoke about the importance of farmers’ unity.
