New Delhi: Making a strong pitch for growth of farmers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the country cannot move forward without their progress and called for increase in crop productivity by 50 percent.

Launching DD Kisan Channel, which would provide information about best agricultural practices and related content, to mark the completion of his government's first year in office, Modi lamented that present system had left farmers to fend for themselves and there was a need to make the sector 'vibrant and dynamic'.