Panel suggests huge credit linkage to cattle rearing, fisheries

New Delhi, Apr 18 (UNI) The sub-committee on Agricultural allied activities has recommended to provide a credit linkage of atleast Rs 1,00,000 crore for live stock and another Rs 20,000 crore for fisheries at three per cent interest for the country to achieve a four per cent growth in agriculture.

The sub-committee headed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy which presented its report to Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today suggested providing of funds to Self Help Groups in Andhra Pradesh and streamlining of procurement and market approach to provide farmers remunerative price by avoiding middlemen.

Dr Reddy said livestock played an important supportive role to agriculture and had become an important sector supporting the rural economy. Even National Commission on farmers has observed that suicides among farmers was less or negligible when the farmer had multiple generation of income opportunity. Livestocks and fisheries provide regular income to the needy.

He said although India was the world's biggest producer of milk and fourth biggest producer of eggs, there was vast scope to improve production and capitalise international market by increasing quantity and improve quality of the produce. "We focussed both on quantity and quality enhancement of country's livestock and fishery production and details will be given by Dr S K Bandopadhyay, Commissioner Animal Husbandry, Dr Reddy.

He said the sub-committee had suggested the government to promote stall feeding or semi-intensive rearing of sheep and goat and the need to conserve and promote native breeds of livestock.

There was a special emphasis for fodder production to achieve and promote fodder yielding crops like jowar by declaring MSP beside taking up special programmes for augmenting green fodder cultivation for cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goat.

Turning to exports, Mr Reddy said unless disease free zones were created the country will not make any deep inroads into the market. India had eradicated rinderpest disease and it should do well to eradicate foot and mouth disease by undertaking control programmes in a contigious manner. ''We have to tackle emerging and established diseases through research and control programmes to avoid economic losses to the farmers,'' he said adding the vaccine availability and diagnostic facilities will have to be ensured.

He said adequate attention was required to promote backyard poultry to provide eggs to children and overcome the problem of malnutrition at the cheapest cost.

UNI