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The Conference of State Agriculture Ministers opened here today by a call by Shri Sharad Pawar to the states to make best use of the mega-projects and programmes being launched to generate fast growth and vibrancy in the agriculture sector.
Inaugurating the Conference, Agriculture Minister Shri Pawar emphasized the urgent need to raise farm productivity, especially in the vast rainfed areas.
If Indian GDP is to rise by 8 percent a year, agriculture must grow by at least 4 percent which is not possible without major initiatives and focused approach, the Minister said. With 60 per cent of the cultivated area depending on rainfall, rainfed agriculture needs urgent attention. Besides crop farming, stress would need to be laid on promoting livestock farming, horticulture, silviculture, fodder plantation and grassland development. A ‘multi-layered’ approach would be adopted with proper financial and technical support so that yields rise, farmers are protected from the vagaries of nature and employment generated in rural areas, he informed.
Shri Pawar said that for efficient use of available water, farmers would also need to adopt drip irrigation and sprinklers in a big way, and the government would soon bring a scheme to promote these techniques. Stating that some states are making good use of these techniques, he urged upon other states to make use of the available huge potential.
Stressing the need for increasing flow of credit to agriculture, Shri Pawar called upon NABARD and RBI to come out with an affordable interest-rate structure for this sector. He informed that agricultural credit has risen from about Rs.37,000 crore at this time last year to nearly Rs.63,000 crore this year. He informed that Agriculture and Finance Ministries are having talks on how to make agricultural credit more affordable to farmers.
The Minister urged the State Ministers to benefit from the four programmes/projects being initiated by the Centre for the remaining three years of the X Plan.
The Government is soon launching the National Horticulture Mission to double horticultural production in eight years and create necessary marketing and processing infrastructure. The outlay for the Mission for the remaining period of the present Plan is Rs.6500 crore.
The Government will also launch a Rs.7600 crore project on micro-irrigation (use of drip irrigation and sprinklers) in the present Plan.
For the proposed dryland farming project, Rs.2150 crore are to be spent in the next three years.
A National Mission on Bamboo is also proposed for promoting bamboo cultivation and supporting its marketing and processing, with an outlay of Rs.500 crore in the present Plan.
Minister of State for Agriculture, Shri Kantilal Bhuria, called for popularization of drought-resistant varieties and adopting locally suited farm practices to increase production from rainfed areas.
Agriculture Secretary, Smt. Radha Singh highlighted the steps taken by the Centre for maximizing rabi production. The government is keeping a close watch on availability of fertilisers and other inputs, she informed. She expressed the hope that the new projects and programmes would lead to long-term growth of agriculture, generate employment and induce private investment into rural areas.
Agriculture and Horticulture Commissioners, NABARD and CII made presentations on initiatives taken in the recent past and possible ways of attaining high level of growth in agriculture.
State Ministers of Agriculture and Horticulture, senior central and state officials concerning these areas, Vice Chancellors of agricultural universities, experts and representatives of credit institutions are participating in the Conference.
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