Globalisation benefits yet to trickle down to agriculture: Karmakar

Bhubaneswar, Jan 29 (UNI) The globalisations and the reform process have quickened the pace of economic growth but their benefits has not trickled down to Indian agriculture and rural sector, according to NABARD Managing Director K G Karmakar.

Addressing the Academic of International Business-India International conference organised on '' India in the emerging global order'', by the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, Mr Karmakar said the rural and agriculture sectors continued to be under non performing sector and the poverty is mostly concentrated in the rural sector.

He said, '' There is a need to focus the approach of our policies in more aggressive manner towards the development of Agriculture sector by way of technology transfer, infrastructure creation, human capital formation and risk management system.

This apart the development of the non firm sector to absorb the large unemployed workforce especially in the case of the landless labourers, small and marginal farmers were also essential for the growth of the country, Mr Karmakar added.

The globalisation, he said might have manifested eight per cent GDP growth rate, huge inflows of FDI, comfortable foreign exchange reserves and booming performance of the manufacturing and service sectors but at the same time it had sunk the agriculture sector and those depended on it.

The downside of globalisation had been none to satisfactory performance of the agriculture sector and widening chasm between the rural and urban population, Mr Karmakar said adding that of the 300 million people living below poverty line, nearly 72 per cent were located in the rural areas, who mainly depend on agriculture.

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