By: Express News ServiceSeptember 22, 2025 07:23 PM IST 3 min readBefore addressing the gathering, Shah also unveiled two bust statues of former leaders of Rajkot District Cooperative Bank, Vallabhbhai Patel and Vithhal Radadiya.Giving impetus to the use of organic farming, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, appealed to the farmers of Gujarat’s Saurashtra region to reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides to improve people’s health while noting that the central government is making arrangements to ensure such cultivators earn greater profits.Shah made these remarks on Monday while addressing an annual general meeting of Rajkot District Cooperative Bank and six other district-level cooperative bodies and a Sahkarita Maha-Sammelan in Rajkot.The Rajkot District Cooperative Bank is headed by BJP legislator Jayesh Radadiya, who is son of a Patidar stalwart and tall community leader Vitthal Radadiya.Before addressing the gathering, Shah also unveiled two bust statues of former leaders of Rajkot District Cooperative Bank, Vallabhbhai Patel and Vithhal Radadiya. During the occasion, several senior leaders of the cooperative sector from the region and local MPs and MLAs were also present.Speaking in Gujarati, Shah said, “Friends, today I have come to make an appeal to all the farmers of Saurashtra. Let us cut the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and adopt organic farming…the farmers should do the task of improving people’s health through organic farming. And the Government of India is making arrangements to ensure that organic farmers get big profits”.“We have to achieve the task of bringing a big chunk of the global market of organic products in favour of farmers of India,” he said.Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, a number of decisions have been taken to strengthen the cooperative sector, said the Union Minister. He said that the PM has taken 60 initiatives in three years to strengthen the cooperative sector that includes strengthening the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS). And because of these initiatives, Shah said that the Cooperative sector of India which was constantly going down for four decades is becoming strong now.Story continues below this adTalking about new initiatives of the Modi government in the Cooperation sector, Shah said, “Bharat Organics has been established so that farmers get full profit on organic products. A cooperative institute has been established which takes organic products from farmers, sells them and returns full profit to the farmers. A new cooperative has been formed for export. A new cooperative has also been formed for farming of seeds. With innumerable initiatives, under the leadership of (PM) Narendrabhai, the cooperation sector is making multifold progress.”The Union minister also referred to the recent cuts in GST rates on all the things being used by farmers and called it a ‘Diwali gift’ from the PM.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Amit Shah