YSR wants 10 per cent growth in allied agricultual activities

New Delhi, Apr 17 (UNI) The Working Group of the National Development Council on Animal Husbandry, Poultry, Fisheries, headed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, is likely to recommend a quantum jump in growth rate for the sector to achieve a four per cent growth in agriculture during the XI Plan.

The Working Group after elaborate discussions on the sector will present its report before the NDC Sub-committee on Agriculture headed by the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in New Delhi tomorrow.

The meeting will discuss ways of accelerating growth in the sector to bolster the incomes of farmers and Dr Reddy was of the opinion that to realise the target of 4 per cent growth in agriculture prescribed by Approach Paper, allied sectors like animal husbandry, fisheries and poultry should grow at 10 per cent.

This required proper finance and market linkages to replicate the successes achieved in his state.

The group is of the opinion that small and marginal farmers can derive maximum benefit by adopting sheep and diary farming Among the suggestions it has suggested including higher budgetary allocations, making available easy credit, insurance back up, marketing acilities, encouraging public-private partnership, corporatising the cooperatives in order to raise funds from the capital market and improved Research and Development for promoting high yielding breeds, better disease control etc, sources said. UNI