Package for farmers soon, says Pawar

New Delhi, Mar 14 (UNI) Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said the fiscal 2005-06 was likely to register a higher growth rate of 3.4 per cent and outlined major policy initiatives to step up the performance of the sector, including bringing a Constitutional Amendment Bill to revitalise the co-operative structure.

''The CSO estimates had projected a growth rate of 2.3 per cent for the agriculture sector for the fiscal 2005-06. The growth this year of the agricultural sector is likely to be 3.4 per cent,'' Mr Pawar said in reply to a discussion on the Demands for Grants relating to the Ministry of Agriculture for 2006-07.

The Minister stated that the proposed National Fisheries Board would be located in Andhra Pradesh and said a Modified Insurance Scheme would be launched before the Kharif season to alleviate the hardships of the farmers, who are forced to commit suicide.

In his reply which lasted for about one-and-a-half hours, Mr Pawar favoured a lower rate of interest than seven per cent to farmers, which has been reduced by two per cent in this year's Budget.

The Minister said the government will soon come out with a package for the farming community, essentially entailing a insurance deal for the farmers and larger flow of credit to this community.

Mr Pawar stressed the need for a stable and long-term policy for promoting exports and involving imports and said the government would look at all the trading arrangements with various countries with a view to protecting the interests of Indian farmers in case they were hurting the agriculturists following enhanced imports resulting from lower customs tariffs.

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