Agricultural renaissance II needed to ensure fair returns: YSR

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, May 29 (UNI) Expressing concern over the stagnation of agricultural production, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today asserted that another agricultural renaissance could only ensure legitimate returns to the farmers to lift them from morass.

In his address at the NDC, Dr Reddy said the farmer must get his returns on his investment in consonance with the efforts he puts in. He should not be left at the mercy of monsoon, middlemen and market forces, he asserted.

The productivity enhancement sweeping the entire crop spectrum, especially growth in dry land geography, must be taken up in a mission mode. Agricultural growth should be raised to 4.5 per cent with crop sector contributing around three per cent and live stocks another eight per cent, Mr Reddy said.

He said even as both figures ''look daunting, they are within the realm of possibility and the experience of his state would reinforce the confidence.'' Mr Reddy said the country witnessed the overall share of agricultural sector to the GDP had been falling to 21 per cent with no change in the transformation in employment pattern as nearly 60 per cent of the workforce were directly engaged in agriculture.

The population increase has led to land fragmentation and substantially low-income and unless there was a second green revolution, there could not be sustained growth in agriculture, he added.

The Andhra Pradesh government, he said, had embarked on a massive irrigation augmentation scheme under 'Jala Yagnam' to bring three million hectares under assured irrigation in the next 10 years. The government had spent about Rs 19,000 crore on irrigation, which was more than the total amount spent during the last 15 years.

Even after the completion of all the irrigation projects, 40 per cent of agriculture was still rain dependent. The government was also encouraging watershed programmes for increasing ground-water levels for recharge of ground-water aquifers to reduce soil erosion and increase crop intensity, the Chief Minister said.

He said horticulture was one area suited for dry lands and the AP government was offering huge subsidies on micro and drip irrigation facilities in these areas. The government had announced an attractive package for the farmers to take up renewable energy plantation for production of bio-diesel through agro-products like jatropha and pongamia in dry land areas.

Dr Reddy said the country had a vast agricultural research system which had served the nation during the 70s and 80s but the elan was missing thereafter. The food grain production in the last decade was unable to keep pace with the declining population growth rate and to look at imports as a short-term solution was ''worrisome''.

The country of 1.1 billion people must be able to produce enough food every year and to achieve this the nation would have to overcome the ''knowledge deficit'', an area identified by the National Farmers Commission, he said.

The Chief Minister said the country should think in terms of inter-connecting various research institutions, extension directorates and agricultural marketing yards with multi-line cyber corridor through a satellite. All knowledge-based technologies must keep the farmer informed about appropriate crop, seed, package or practices and market opportunities available at their doorsteps.

He also favoured market intervention fund in the form of Central assistance to deal with the MSP on perishable commodities like tomatoes.

Touching upon credit flows to farmers, Dr Reddy said it had doubled during the last three years, but, he added, the AP government's package for farmers had decimated the suicide levels.

''Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should continue with the special package given to the states affected by farmers suicides,'' he said.

UNI

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