<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has said that cooperatives have the potential to revive agriculture and make it sustainable. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Delivering the 19th Vaikunth Bhai Mehta Memorial Lecture organized by National Cooperative Union of India in New Delhi today, Mr Naidu said, the cooperative sector has a big role in bridging the urban-rural divide and creating opportunities for income generation. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">He asked cooperatives to take up the task of training farmers in the right use of fertilizers and also help them understand new technologies in farming. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Mr Naidu said, there is need to strengthen cooperatives so that they can work for the welfare of the farmers and give them credit at the time they need at a reasonable rate of interest. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">He also called for an increased participation of women in the cooperative movement. He said, women's participation will further strengthen economic activity in rural areas.</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Keeping in view the strategy of government for doubling farmers income by 2022, the Vice President said that agricultural cooperatives can play a vital role in educating the farmers to reduce the cost of cultivation through balanced use of fertilizer, improve water-use efficiency, establish more warehouse to avoid distress sale of produce and link with National E-market. He urged cooperatives to take active part in skilling rural youth.</div>''<div class="yj6qo" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"></div>''<div class="adL" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"></div>