NEW DELHI: The National Commission on Farmers (NCF) has recommended formulation of a comprehensive national policy for farmers to give an all-round boost to agriculture by providing them advisory, technical, farm credit and marketing services.

Commission chairman M.S. Swaminathan on Thursday presented the fourth report to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar here. Noting that the average farm size had become smaller and the cost-risk-return structure of farming had become adverse, the Commission detailed a Draft Mission Statement for Farmers.

The draft statement calls for mainstreaming the human dimension in all farm policies and giving explicit attention to issues relating to agriculture. It underscores the need to end the era of farmers' suicides and to restore pride and confidence in farmers and farming. It calls for completing the "unfinished agenda" in land reforms and to initiate comprehensive asset and Aquarian reforms in rural India. It stresses on increasing farmers incomes, livelihood, nutrition and health security of farm, fisher, tribal, pastoral and agricultural labour families.

"So far there has been no well defined policy for farmers. When finalised and adopted, the NCF-initiated National Policy for Farmers will be the first of its kind in the 10,000 years history of Indian farming," the report said.

Security package

The Commission calls for the development and introduction of a `livelihood security package' for farmers by providing them technology choice according to agro-ecological conditions and market demand; soil health enhancement and water conservation; quality and affordability of inputs; credit and insurance and market tie-up, besides necessary health care facilities linked with the National Rural Health Commission.

It also calls for a strategy for achieving a four per cent growth rate in agriculture through a mix of technology, credit, insurance and marketing support and knowledge connectivity. It also calls for various asset reforms, land reforms, adoption of cooperative and other types of group farming measures so as to ensure power and economy of scale to farmers with smallholdings.

Considering the importance of livestock in the rural economy, the Commission has underlined the need to establish Livestock Feed and Fodder Corporation. Drawing attention to the recent experience of H5N1 strain of avian flu, the Commission has underlined the need for setting up a National Agricultural Biosecurity System and a National Agricultural Biosecurity Fund to strengthen infrastructure for sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures and upgradation of facilities for plant, animal and fish quarantine certification.

The Commission has also drawn attention to the need for diversifying sustainable livelihood opportunities on the lines of the Chinese model of Township and Village Enterprises (TVE). For this it has called for a `Rural Non-farm Livelihood Initiative' in forms of agri-business centres, food parks and other rural non-farm employment programmes by restructuring agencies such as the Khadi and Village Industries Commission.

In a reference to dislocation of families from large dams or the proposed plan to interlink rivers, the NCF said the gram sabhas should be involved in preparation of rehabilitation plans.

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