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Union Minister for Agriculture, Shri Sharad Pawar called upon farmers to be more productive, efficient and competitive to face the challenges of globalization. He also said that the National Agricultural Policy seeks to promote technology, economically viable, environment friendly and socially acceptable methods to promote agriculture. The Minister was speaking during the National Productivity Council Awards for Agriculture function in the capital today. The Awards are for the year 2003-04.
Following is the text of the speech of Shri Sharad Pawar:
“Smt. Radha Singh, Secretary (A&C), Mrs. Sunila Basant, D.G., NPC, other officials, awardees and friends,
At the outset, let me convey my felicitations to all the winners of the coveted National Productivity Awards. I am particularly glad to note that the award winners come from all parts of the nation. The fact that some of them are from the remote corners of our country is even more heartening. Remoteness of location has not prevented them to strive hard and achieve results.
It is heartening to note that NPC is aiming to promote the cause of productivity not only in industry, service, infrastructure and other sectors of the economy but agriculture also. It is also encouraging that NPC aims at propagating productivity as an evolving concept with due emphasis on issues and concerns relating to quality, environment, energy integrated rural and community development, women workers etc.
Agriculture has been a major contributor to the country’s growing economy. The productivity and efficiency of agriculture, therefore, is crucial not only for agriculture sector but for the entire economy. Also, agriculture is the main source of employment and livelihood for an overwhelming majority of the country’s population numbering well over a billion and still growing. For the multitude of rural families farming is simply a way of life, an integral part of the country’s socio-cultural fabric. However, Indian agriculture is characterized by subsistence farming. These features, therefore, warrant an adequate emphasis on productivity.
Various initiatives taken by the Government will help improve productivity in agriculture. Public investment in agriculture sector and irrigation have been stepped up. The flow of agricultural credit is to double in three years alongwith the reduction of burden of debt and softening of farm loans. The controls and depress farmers’ income are being systematically removed and provide protection provided to farmers against imports which are heavily subsidized by the exporting countries. Fair and remunerative prices have to be provided to farmers and I have taken the lead by declaring MSP much ahead of sowing of Kharif crops this year. I am sure that these steps will build a sense of security and confidence among the farmers and help improving productivity and farm income.
With globalization, agriculture is also becoming more and more competitive. Indian farmers too have to be more productive, efficient and competitive particularly in view of the fact that our productivity in more crops is far below the world standards. So the main challenge before us is how to improve productivity in various crops concepts under a variety of constraints and sustain it.
When farming is practiced for subsistence, competitiveness, the driving force behind productivity, takes back seat in the farmer’s scheme of things. As such, Productivity Awards schemes such as these, acquire significance and need whole hearted support from all quarters. Effective and successful implementations of these schemes provide not only recognition but also stimulus to productivity enhancement efforts in the agriculture sector.
Our National Agricultural Policy seeks to promote technically sound, economically viable, environmentally non-degrading and socially acceptable use of country’s natural resources – land, water and genetic endowment to promote sustainable development of agriculture. There is a need to contain biotic pressures on land and to control indiscriminate diversion of agricultural lands for non-agricultural purposes. The unutilized wastelands are required to be put to use for agriculture and afforestation. Particular attention needs to be given for increasing cropping intensity through multiple-cropping and inter-cropping. Balanced and conjunctive use of bio-mass, organic and inorganic fertilizers and controlled use of agro chemicals through integrated nutrients and pest management (INM & IPM) needs to be promoted to achieve the sustainable increase in agricultural production. A nation-wide programme for utilization of rural and urban garbage, farm residues and organic waste for organic matter repletion and pollution control is required to be worked out. A regionally differentiated strategy is needed to be pursued, taking into account the agronomic, climatic and environmental conditions to realize the full growth potential of every region. Special attention needs to be given to development of new crop varieties, with higher nutritional value through adoption of bio-technology while also addressing bio-safety concerns.
Productivity enhancement is the key for providing opportunities to the Indian farmer in the emerging global trade regime. Our agricultural policy orientation has been towards increasing opportunities for Indian farmers in such a manner as to minimize the adverse impacts of globalization, particularly in the transition period. We have also been articulating our concerns in the world fora for multilateral trade and environmental negotiations. This along may not be enough for use to succeed in the international market. We now must embark on an extensive program to educate our farmers on the need to meet the norms and standards in the world market in addition to higher productivity. Equally important is the need to disseminate the information about possible export markets to Indian farmers so that market access is achieved at the minimum cost. Aided by the Information Technology revolution in the country, this should not be difficult task for the country.
Global food production and consumption patterns have changed over time. Major driving factors towards the change are: higher incomes, faster urbanization, changing role of women, improved packaging and transportation, diet diversification, consumer perceptions of food safety and quality. These changes in food consumption patterns have profound implications on world food production and trade. For instance, in the last two decades or so, world trade in bulk commodities like wheat and rice is becoming increasingly less important while semi-processed and processed items make the fastest growth.
Indian farmers should be encouraged to catch up along with their competitors in the world market and broad base our farm exports towards value added products through agro-processing such as processed vegetables, fruits, fish and meet products. If we can ensure that the requisite overseas market information lie those relating to norms and standards, costs and profits reaches the farming community in time, they are likely to invest in appropriate post-harvest and processing technologies. There is no need for me to mention here that inadequate storage and transportation are one of the main hurdles in achieving world standards.
I am glad that organizations like National Productivity Council are in the forefront to serve the cause of Indian farmers. Through these annual Productivity Awards, the Council tries to disseminate and popularize various productivity concepts and parameters among the farmers and their representative organizations. The awards thus enable the agriculture sector to achieve higher productivity and quality standards, required by the sector to compete successfully in the world market. It is noteworthy that these awards were commenced in 1986 at the instance of the late Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi. Since then increasing numbers of organizations covering over a dozen categories including agricultural extension, animal feed processing, bio-fertilizers, dry land farming, horticulture etc. have been participating in these awards. I am particularly impressed by the fact that the Awards are based purely on objective data regarding the performance of organizations over a period of four years with emphasis both on growth and current performance and are evaluated by an independent and separate jury constituted for each category consisting of eminent experts from the specialization.
I once again express my heart-felt felicitations to the winners of the Awards and hope and NPC will continue to motivate Indian farmers and other organizations to strive for higher and higher productivity.”
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