11th Plan will address agricultural issues: Ahluwalia

Chennai, Mar 27 (UNI) Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia today reiterated that the 11th Five Year Plan would provide a new set of initiatives to give a boost to agriculture sector in the country.

Delivering his speech on corporate role in rural development- he said, ''Given that 36 per cent of net sown area is still rainfed, in the 11th Plan we will have to focus on these areas for agricultural growth''.

''The Centre has already decided to create a National Rainfed Areas Authority to give directions to our existing programmes on desert development, drought-prone areas and integrated watershed development,'' he added.

''The Plan panel has projected the agricultural sector to grow at four per cent during the next five years,'' he said and added ''but this always depends a lot on a good monsoon.'' Dr Ahluwalia, who was here for a one-day tour, said, ''looking for alternatives to poor farm growth is simply not an acceptable outcome. We must ensure that agriculture delivers four per cent growth.'' ''Reform of the water sector is crucial for agricultural growth and there is also a growing knowledge deficit in agriculture because farmers do not have information, which they need, to achieve productivity levels that are possible with existing technology,'' he pointed out.

Agricultural credit is a major constraint largely because the co-operative credit system has failed, he said adding, ''we have proposed a package of reforms in which the Centre will provide resources package to all state governments if they de-politicise the cooperatives and modernise the management.'' ''The lack of modern marketing arrangements in agriculture is a major constraint,'' he said adding the modern marketing system will definetly benefit both the farmers and the people.

UNI