Include farmers in India's growth story: Raje

New Delhi, May 29: Advocating more inclusive and equitable growth, Rajasthan government today said the national target of achieving double-digit growth during the 11th plan period would be rendered meaningless if farmers are excluded from its benefits.

Keeping the focus on agricultural sector in her address at the National Development Council meet here, chief minister Vasundhara Raje, while urging the Central government to increase plan allocations to achieve four per cent growth rate in the agri-sector, said, ''Private investment would also be needed to drive agricultural growth.'' Urging for Reforms in agricultural marketing, she called for forging public private partnerships for development of infrastructure, especially for post-harvest management, agro-processing, marketing and exports. She claimed '' Agri-export zones have failed to take off precisely for want of such investments.'' Underlining the need for coopting the private sector for agri-growth, the chief minister urged the Central government to support private sector initiatives in agricultural research and adoption of such private inputs into the system of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). At the same time, she wanted that '' The public research system (read ICAR) has to be made accountable to the actual needs of the farmers.'' Without specifically calling for payment of royality to scientists who provide inputs, she , however, advocated for a system of '' incentives to provide a share of the proceeds of commercialisation to the scientists who develop new technologies.''

UNI