Cut agricultural wastage to increase profitablity: Experts

Chandigarh, Nov 29 (UNI) The agricultural experts have stressed on curtailing wastage of crops by adopting a change in agricultural practice for increasing profitablity.

In a panel discussion on ''Production in the Agricultural Sector'', organised as part of the Agro Tech 08 here today, the experts said that quantity of input used in the farming also needs to be reduced as well as the labour costs with the use of seeders instead of manual labour.

The experts drew attention of the participants towards overall improvement in the conditions of the farmers in terms of agricultural techniques and facilities.

ACE Bharti Del-Monte India General Manager (Operations) RPS Dhaliwal, in his opening address said, ''There has been an improvement in the quality of seeds, facilities as well as in the general awareness among the farmers but there is a need to improve the trust between the growers and the sellers.'' He stressed on the use of direct buying instead of multiple buying to bring in a significant decrease in the costs incurred by the farmers.

Global Green Co vice-president MR Chandra Mouli opined that good agricultural practices and food security are possible only through contract farming.

Striking a cautionary note, Chairman, Maharudra Agriculture Research Institute, Buldana, Sidhheshwar Kulkarni, said for farmers, organic farming could be a better option than contract farming as the buyers generally back out, when they sense loss, leaving the farmers high and dry.

Agro Tech 2008, the four-day agro technology fair, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is showcasing the latest in agricultural technology, products and allied services. The mega event features seven concurrent expos and three international conferences, covering different sectors of agriculture and related economy.

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