|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Experts at CII’s Chandigarh Agro Tech Fair demand higher MSP for crops
|
|
Tuesday, 25 November, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
|
|
fiogf49gjkf0d At the Agro Technology and Business Fair, which took place in Chandigarh recently and was hosted by the Confederation of the Indian Industries (CII), focussed on the development of the agriculture and food processing industries, the speakers demanded a higher minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The event, whose partner ministries were the ministries of agriculture and food processing industries (MoFPI), witnessed participation from 36 international exhibitors and 126 domestic exhibitors.
The Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes; the Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers’ Association of India (CLFMA) of India; the Crop Care Federation of India; the Fertiliser Association of India; the Micronutrient Manufacturers’ Association; the National Seed Association of India; the Pesticide Formulators’ Association of India, and the Progressive Dairy Farmers’ Association.
The chief ministers of Haryana and Punjab (the host states) and agriculture secretary Ashish Bahuguna attended the event, at which the Indian and global agricultural community converged. However, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh and food processing industries minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal were absent.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, “There is an urgent need to promote the agro processing industry and set up the required logistic network and supply chain, including cold chains, to reduce the burden on the soil and increase the farmers’ earnings.”
“We are planning to launch Krishi cards and introduce cold storage units across the state, so that the agro processing industry benefits. We are also promoting cooperative farming for small farmers, so that they do not have to resort to distress sales to geta profitable price,” he added.
“The industry, scientists and the government should come together to create better private-public partnerships, develop better warehousing systems and invest in research and development (R&D) to develop better seeds, fertilisers and techniques, with a focus on increasing the productivity of small and marginal farmers,” Khattar said.
In his inaugural speech, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal urged Bahuguna to ask the agriculture minister to maximise the Centre’s role in developing the agriculture and food processing industries. He concurred with the Swaminathan Committee, which recommended that the Centre fix the MSP of crops keeping in mind the rising input costs.
“In Punjab, farmers are indebted to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore. If the Swaminathan formula is not implement, there would be more suicides. As agriculture is the economy’s backbone, I urge the Centre to have a separate budget for it, on the lines of the railway and defence budgets,” he added.
“Moreover, there is an urgent need for the development and modernisation of water irrigation facilities (such as canals), and to renew the focus on developing technology and research. The Centre should provide funds to all the agricultural universities that are financially starved,” Badal stated.
The Punjab chief minister also recommended that a concession on loans be given to small and marginal farmers, and suggested that it should be set at just two per cent. “This would help make farming more lucrative and bring latency to the sector,” he added.
“Farmers from Punjab and Haryana have contributed a lot to the agricultural sector of the country, and now stakeholders like the Centre, state governments and the industry, must support them in their quest,” Badal said.
“For long, farmers from the two states have come to the rescue of the country in terms of its food needs, and the onus is now on the Centre to streamline policies to support them,” he added, stating that it was heartening to note that the Modi government had a focussed policy for the development of the sector.
“To encourage diversification, which would save the burden on soil and water, the Centre must start the procurement of such commodities as maize, pulses and cereals, for which it has just fixed the MSP,” Badal said.
Bahuguna said, “The challenges before the Indian agricultural sector are immense. Farmers in India earn just 1/10th of the total earnings of non-farmers. Our farmers’ incomes must be increased through innovative measures. To achieve this, the pattern of agriculture must change. We must move towards newer vistas like horticulture and animal husbandry.”
Brad Wall, premier of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, was among the dignitaries present. He said, “We look forward to partnering with India in aspects of research and bringing innovations in agriculture. Currently, we have nearly 43 active agreements in force.”
“University of Saskatchewan is working in close cooperation with the University of Hyderabad to develop nearly 90 varieties of chickpeas. We are also working in sequences of student exchanges and in research and development, and would continue to do so in the future as well,” Wall added.
Ajay S Shriram, chairman and managing director, DCM Shriram Ltd, and president, CII, said, “There is a renewed optimism with the new government supporting agricultural policies. The new developments by the government have added a renewed vigour to the sector, and have provided a critical opportunity to India to establish itself at the top.”
“But to achieve the same, key barriers need to be eliminated. The public-private partnership model must be strengthened to help reduce post-harvest losses and thus rationalise the market,” he added.
“We believe that we can achieve it by streamlining measures. We must set up processes; undertake brand-building exercises; develop talent; develop agricultural research; scale innovative solutions; promote mechanisation; develop robotics; increase the number of cold storage units and research laboratories; promote venture-capital funding and develop a national agricultural mission,” Shriram added.
“We believe that the potential of the sector is manifold, and Agro Tech has been successful in establishing itself as a key stakeholder in the development of the sector. By helping to infuse key tech integrities, CII has established a distinctive position in the industry. And the gathering here is a testimony to the same,” he said.
Dr Pawan Goenka, chairman, CII Agro Tech 2014; Chandrajit Banerjee, director general, CII; Zubin Irani, chairman, CII Northern Region, and Salil Singhal, co-chairman, CII National Council on Agriculture and chairman and managing director, P I Industries Ltd, were also present.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|