The Hindu : National : Farmers need 'some degree of protection'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 20, 2004

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National

Farmers need 'some degree of protection'

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, NOV. 19. The National Commission on Farmers (NCF) favours "some degree of protection" to farmers against spurious varieties of seeds in the proposed Seed Bill, 2004.

"There should be some provision to compensate losses beyond their control on investments done on advice of extension services," the NCF chairman, M.S. Swaminathan said on the sidelines of a regional consultation on `Mission 2007' for Hunger Free India organised by the Commission, the World Food Programme and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.

Responding to the Government's stand that farmers could approach consumer courts for compensation against losses from spurious seeds, he said his Agri Biotech Report had recommended that there should be an insurance policy to insulate farmers from incurring losses.

The Commission's first report is expected to be out by the third week of December. For this, the Commission is holding regional consultations in various States.

To a question, Dr. Swaminathan said that while he did not favour institutionalising farm subsidies, he was not against providing subsidies in the case of prolonged drought or similar calamities. "Subsidies, if they affected ecology like the overdrawal of ground water, should not be given, but if they were meant to help out the farm sector after a natural setback, it was fine to give financial help," he said.

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