Govt to take decision on Swaminathan reports soon: Pawar

New Delhi, July 31 (UNI) Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today announced in the Lok Sabha that the government would soon take a decision on the recommendations of the reports of National Commission on Farmers, headed by eminent agri-scientist Dr M S Swaminathan, which were under active consideration.

The commission was set up two years ago to suggest ways and means to revive the sagging farm sector and to effect the Second Green Revolution in agriculture. It has recommended crop prices'support and credit on soft terms to farmers as well creating a grainbank and seed production network in the country.

The minister said the government was also considering replacing the present Minimum Support Price (MSP) by a Procurement Price mechanism to ensure renumerative prices to the farmers. The fall in crop prices usually lead to indebtness of the farmers and consequently, drove some of them commit suicide in despair.

Mr Pawar also identified as erratic rainfall in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and some other states as a cause of the agrarian crisis and said the government would try to enhance public and private investment in the irrigation network to lessen the farmers' dependence on the monsoon rains.

Admitting that the real problem was in bringing about a breakthrough in the stagnating production of oilseed and pulses, which were being imported by the country in a big way, he hoped that public sector farm research body, ICAR and an international body ICRISAT would succeed in their ongoing efforts to developing new high-yielding hybrid varieties of oilseeds and pulses to break the existing productivity barriers in both crops.

Referring to the introducing of genetically modified (genetically engineered) crops in India, Mr Pawar said the GM technology was still controversial with strong proponents both on 'for- and- against' sides.

Therefore, he said, the government would tread cautiously in this area. So far, the government had allowed the cultivation on Bt cotton, a transgenic variety, in the country but it was yet to be escape strong criticism from the farmers' bodies and other environmental groups, he noted.

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