PM keen on rural and agricultural development

Hyderabad, Dec 5 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today stressed the need for developing rural areas and improving farmers condition.

Addressing the 'Global Logistics Summit, 2006' organised on the occasion of completion of five years of 'Indian School of Business' in public-private partnership, Dr Singh lamented that agriculture contributed slightly over 20 per cent of GDP, but two thirds of the population depended on it. Nowhere in the world was this happening.

Logistics could play a key role in integrating the rural-urban divide, contributing to employment creation and income generation.

He wanted planners and management experts to think in terms of creating urban facilities in rural areas.

Production, financing, marketing and logistics possibilities of rural India required new, innovative approaches and solutions. This was the challenge for business schools and researchers, he said.

'Logistics is above all, about managing people. We need to have a logistics model that reaches out to the potential of rural India, a model, which delivers goods and services cost-effectively, a model which provides cost-effective access of rural produce to our urban and industrial markets.' The Prime Minister said global demand for Indian agricultural produce could be supplemented by rapidly growing domestic demand.

This would increase in quantity and also change in composition with rising income. Stating that the demand for horticulture and marine products was on the rise, Dr Singh said there was need for investment in rural infrastructure to enable farmers to reach new markets.

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