The Hindu : Front Page : M.S. Swaminathan to head National Commission on Farmers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 30, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

M.S. Swaminathan to head National Commission on Farmers

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, MAY 29 . Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, eminent agricultural scientist, will head the National Commission on Farmers, which was set up by the previous National Democratic Alliance Government to review the status of Indian agriculture and assess the condition of different categories of farmers in different regions.

Speaking to The Hindu today, Dr. Swaminathan, 78, said he was made the offer on Friday by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and he was "willing to help."

Dr. Swaminathan, known as "the father of the Green Revolution in India," said he would soon meet the Union Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, to discuss the composition of the Commission, its terms of reference and functions.

Dr. Swaminathan now heads a Committee appointed by the Agriculture Ministry to prepare a National Policy on Agri-Biotechnology. He said the report was ready and he would soon submit it to the Ministry.

A graduate from Cambridge with a doctorate in genetics, Dr. Swaminathan was awarded in 1987 the World Food Prize which is the equivalent of the Nobel Prize. He was Union Secretary, Agriculture and Food, and has held numerous positions including Chief of the International Rice Research Institute, Manila, and the Indian Council for Agriculture Research. He now runs the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai.

Mr. Pawar said he wanted to expand the scope of the Commission and include in its terms of reference, recommendations on accelerating agriculture reforms, particularly in quality production and marketing.

In its earlier terms of reference, the Commission was to identify the factors responsible for imbalances and disparities and suggest measures to achieve sustainable and equitable agricultural development.

It was to examine the issues of existing price and marketing policies and the legal framework to improve the income and welfare of farmers and assess the impact of international trade environment on the livelihood sustainability and the viability of small agricultural holdings.

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