Separate agriculture budget to contain farmers' suicide: MPs

New Delhi, Aug 17 (UNI) Cutting across the political spectrum, Lok Sabha members today made a strong case for renewed initiatives for the agriculture sector, including launching of new employment guarantee schemes for small and marginal farmers, remunerative prices of their produce and a separate budget to contain farmers' suicide.

Earlier, initiating the discussion under Rule 193, Mr Mohan Singh(SP) said farmers' loans waiver alone would not put an end to their sufferings. ''What is needed is cheaper agriculture inputs, opening of more commercial banks in rural areas and remunerative prices of their produce.'' He also called for a re-look at the Krishi Vigayan Kendras and re charging of the ground water on a war-footing.

Mr Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) came out with a new suggestion altogether. He said the government should consider launching of an Employment Guarantee Scheme for farmers who owned less than five acres of land on the pattern of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

''The move to ensure 100-day employment for at least one member of such a farmer's family will go a long way in mitigating the hardships of the farming community, which made this country self dependent in production of foodgrains.'' Ms Parneet Kaur(Cong) stressed the need for increasing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy which would reach the market soon.

She also observed that as farmers were turning to cash crops, the shortage of food grains had occurred.

Mr Kailash Joshi(BJP) said the interlinking of rivers, as suggested during the NDA regime, should be started besides decreasing the interest on farmers' loans.

Mr Sujan Chakerbertty( CPI-M) pleaded that one or two economic packages for the distressed farmers would not serve the purpose.

''The government has to take steps like distributing the surplus land to marginal farmers as country's 72 per cent agriculturists own just 27 of the land.'' Quoting facts and figures, the MP demanded more allocation of funds for the farming sector and pointed out the decreasing contribution of the agriculture sector to the GDP. '' During the Ninth Plan agriculture contributed just 2.1 per cent while the GDP was 5.5 per cent. During the next Plan it is set to come down further.'' UNI YJ/KSA RL GC1848