Mayawati unveils agriculture investment policy, retail to get boost

Lucknow, Aug 3 (UNI) Hoping to attract investment to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore by 2011, the Mayawati-led Uttar Pradesh government today unveiled an ambitious 'Agriculture Infrastructure and Investment Policy' which would eliminate the role of middlemen, and likely to give boost to 'big' retail players in the state.

The policy would ensure better and remunerative prices to the farmers of their produce and ensure all round development of the farming sector which will benefit around 120 million farmers of the state, Chief Minister Mayawati told a luncheon press conference here.

The policy was approved by the state cabinet here today and the government will bring an ordinance to this effect very soon.

The new policy,being projected as a tool to develop a better and commercial relationship between investors and farmers, however, will give no right on the ownership of the farmers' land under any condition.

Describing the policy as 'historic' and 'revolutionary', Ms Mayawati said the alternatives had been opened in contract farming while investors have got the rights to purchase the produce directly from the farmers.

The private investors will have the right to set up private mandis, where farmers will have the freedom to sell their crops while the small entrepreneurs will have the right to set up Kisan Bazar in joint sector. Besides this, the farmers will also have the right to sell their produce directly to consumers.

''This policy has been propounded with the aim of taking the benefit of retail revolution in the world economy so that rural economy becomes the part of mainstream'', she said adding that under the policy only serious investors would be permitted to buy the produce from the farmers directly who have net worth of more than Rs 500 crore and who are ready to make a capital investment of minimum of Rs 5000 crore in the next three years.

The CM said with the implementation of the agreement with private players, the entire rural distribution system will bring revolutionary change and the farmers who in the absence of alternatives were forced to sell his produce to middlemen at lower prices, could sell it in the market at higher prices.

''Though the investors will have the right to purchase the produce directly from the farmer but his pruchase could not be less than minimum support price on the articles decided by the state or centre. Remaining articles will be purchased or sold on proper market price'', Ms Mayawati said.

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