GULBARGA: The draft policy for farmers framed by the National Commission on Farmers headed by agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan has recommended to the Centre to work out a National Agriculture Bio-security System (NABS) to provide work and income security to farmers and food and trade security to the country.

The policy circulated for comments from farmers' organisations and experts in the field states that agriculture bio-security, covering crops, trees and farm and aquatic animals is of great importance to ensure assured security to farmers.

The policy says that the NABS should safeguard the income and livelihood security of farmers and fishermen, and food, health and trade security through integrated surveillance, vigilance, prevention and control mechanism designed to protect productivity and safety of crops, farm animals, fish and forest cover.

The NABS should take steps to enhance capacity in initiating proactive steps in the areas of monitoring, early warning, education, research, control and international cooperation to introduce an integrated bio-security package comprising regulatory measures, education and social mobilisation. The NABS should introduce a national agriculture bio-security programme on a hub and spokes model with effective home and regional quarantine facilities capable of insulating major agro-ecological and farming systems zones of the country from invasive alien species of pests, pathogens and weeds.

The policy states that the NABS should serve as an apex policymaking and coordinating body on matters relating to agriculture. It should be headed by the Union Agriculture Minister.

The NABS should have under its control a National Centre for Agriculture Bio-security (NCAB) with four wings dealing with crops, farm animals, living aquatic resources and agriculturally important micro-organisms and dealing with the analysis, aversion and management of risks as well as operation of an early warning system.

The policy says a National Agricultural Bio-security Network (NABN) should be set up under the NCAB as a coordinating and facilitating centre for a national agricultural bio-security network to facilitate partnership with institutions in the public, private, academic and civil society sectors engaged in bio-monitoring, bio-safety, quarantine and other bio-security programmes to help maximise the benefits from the existing scientific expertise and institutional strengths.

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