Montek seeks political endorsement of agricultural startegy at NDC

New Delhi, May 28 (UNI) Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia will seek political endorsement of a strategy for agriculture for the Eleventh Plan (2007-11) at the NDC meeting tomorrow, with the objective of stepping up growth rate of the sector from the present level of a little more than two per cent to four per cent per annum.

There is clear realisation in the government that to sustain a nine per cent GDP growth in the Eleventh Plan, an agricultural growth rate of four per cent is neccessary.

The focus of discussion will be the Draft Report of the Sub-Committee of the NDC on Agriculture and related issues. The Committee, headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, had set up several Working Groups headed by various Chief Ministers.

''The NDC Sub-Committee's Report is not an academic exercise aimed at knowledge gathering, but one which has the political endorsement of State governments as well,'' Dr Ahluwalia told UNI here.

The 53rd meeting of the NDC has only one theme--devising an agricutural strategy for the next plan. It will be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and addressed by key Central Ministers - Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.

Chief Ministers of all the States, Lt Governors of the Union Territories, full time members of the Planning Commission, and senior officials of the Plan Panel will also take part in the proceedings.

The Sub-Committee is of the view that fiscal support to agriculture, particularly subsidies, should be reviewed and reduced so that larger resources are available to support critical, albeit WTO permissible services like research and extension; pest and disease control; marketing and promotion services; infrastructure development and agricultural insurance.

The concern in the government is that foodgrains production and yield rates have witnessed decline in growth rate since last decade and half. Since there is no scope for sizeable increase in area under cultivation, decline in yields during this period needs serious attention.

Wheat, which is an important cereal for national food security, has shown marked declining trend in productivity from the growth rate of 3.10 per cent during the 1980s to 1.83 per cent in the 1990s and further to 0.11 per cent from 2000-01 to 2004-05. Decleration in growth of rice over this period is also remarkable.

The decline in agricultural productivity has been observed in all regions and the foodgrain crops, with the exception of Bajra and to some extent maize.

Official sources say the fall in growth rate in foodgrains in general and rice in particular below the population growth rate of 2.38 per cent during 1980's and 2.15 per cent during 1990s has serious implications for national food security in the long run.

While the Approach paper to the Eleventh Plan has been approved by the NDC, the final draft is under preperation in the Commission.

The strategy that will be approved tomorrow, will find its place in the final draft.

MORE UNI