A 'retarded' agriculture cries for renaissance: YSR

New Delhi, Dec 9: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S RajashekharaReddy today highlighted how a 'retarded' agricultural growth wasthwarting the entire growth process of the state and made out a casefor 'renaissance' of the sector based on higher productivity and largerinfrastructure investments.

In an address at the National Development Council meeting, the CMsaid the economy of the state was a 'mixed' bag as the countryapproached the 11th plan and if the trend went uncorrected, it wouldundermine the planned economic growth and afflict social development.

Dr Reddy said the state was doing well in the field of infrastructure, IT sector and these gains need to be consolidated.

However there were areas of critical weaknesses bordering crisis in widespread agriculture sector.

He said the state's economy which was around six per cent in 80shad now touched 7.1 per cent a notch just below 7.2 for the country.

The state was now confidently targetting nine per cent growth in 2007-12.

Dr Reddy said agriculture will continue to be a central avenueduring 11th plan and beyond and it would be a gigantic task torejuvenate this most important sector. "All of us have to do it andsucceed", he said. About the concept of agricultural insurance, he saidthe aim should be at insuring farmers' effort rather than insuring onlybank loan. The insurance scheme with village as a unit for one dominantcrop had been tried in five districts of A P.

On the irrigation and soil-water management, the CM said anambitious plan was under implementation for creating 73 lakh acres offresh ayacut and stabilising 22 lakh acres of fresh ayacut and 22 lakhacres by constructing 30 major and 18 medium projects. Of these eightwere slated for completion during the 10th plan and work was on a 'fasttrack'.

He said an irrigation potential of 12 lakh acres had been createdduring the last three years and all projects were scheduled forcompletion in phased manner by 2012. Modernisation of Godavari andKrishna irrigation system along with drainage and construction of bundsalong major rivers and canals was another initiative to provide majorcushion against torrential rains ravaging crops, livestock, propertyand people.

In Infrastructure and IT, he said AP was doing well and the statehad earned a reputation. The new ICT policy was intended to grow in aholistic manner in and around Hyderabad and tier II cities likeVishakhapatnam and Vijaywada. The state was likely to be in the secondplace after Karnataka by 2012 as IT and ITES sector boomed across thecountry.

UNI