The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Agriculture technology mission soon: YSR

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Saturday, Mar 26, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Agriculture technology mission soon: YSR

By Our Special Correspondent

The Union Minister for Agriculture, Sharad Pawar, greeting the Sri Lankan Agriculture Secretary, Tissa Warnasuriya, at the round table meeting of Agriculture Ministers and policy-makers of the South Asia Regional Conference of Agricultural Economists in Hyderabad on Friday. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, is also seen. Photo: Mohd. Yousuf (Report on page 12)

HYDERABAD, MARCH 25. The Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, on Friday said an agriculture technology mission would be set up to develop synergy between agriculture and allied areas.

Participating in a panel discussion on "Prospects for South Asia Free Trade and Cooperation in Agriculture Sector" at the South Asia Regional Conference of the International Association of Agriculture Economists, Dr. Reddy said the mission could also look at announcing price for agriculture produce in advance, so that farmers would be in a better position to grow the crop.

The Government was examining if contract farming could be introduced and in a "moral, ethical and scrupulous way" put in place a pricing mechanism to ensure better returns for the farmer, he added.

Answering the Union Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar's question on why resource-poor Orissa farmers were not resorting to such steps, he said it could be because the Andhra Pradesh farmer had better access to credit.

Agriculture credit had gone up from Rs. 6,000 crores last year to Rs. 9000 crores now. The institutional credit now stood at 36 per cent of the total credit.

The free power supply helped farmers, especially in dryland areas, who depended on borewells. They had to spend Rs. 2000 to Rs. 3000 per acre as against Rs. 200 to Rs. 300 by his counterparts having assured irrigation project water.

Responding to a query from a delegate, Mr. Pawar said the Centre would slowly move towards removing restrictions and treating the entire country as one market.

The Agriculture Minister, N. Raghuveera Reddy, regretted that subsidies to the agriculture sector were coming under scrutiny although Indian farmers desperately needed support in one way or the other to face global competition.

The Bhutanese Agriculture Minister, Lyompo Sanagay, and the president-elect of International Association of Agricultural Economists, David Coleman, spoke.

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