The Hindu : National : NDC sub-committee forms panel to look into WTO issues

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National

National

NDC sub-committee forms panel to look into WTO issues

Gargi Parsai

Groups comprising technical experts to submit report next month

Sharad Pawar

NEW DELHI: The National Development Council (NDC) sub-committee on "Agriculture and Related Issues" has decided on two groups of technical experts to look into the issues of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations and their impact on the farm sector, the role of biotechnology and the reduction of farmland and people dependent on agriculture.

These issues went unaddressed in the recommendations of the Working Groups on crops, irrigation, marketing, animal husbandry and dry land farming that were presented to the panel chaired by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar here on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Hindu after the meeting, Mr. Pawar said the members had "more or less" agreed to the suggestions of the Working Groups headed by the Chief Ministers of Orissa, Punjab, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

"Two-three reports on the issues relating to WTO and biotechnology are yet to come. Once they come, the recommendations of the sub-committee would be presented to the full NDC on May 29," he said.

Member (Agriculture) of the Planning Commission and convenor of the sub-committee, Abhijit Sen, has been asked to form two internal groups of technical experts who would look into the WTO and biotechnology issues and submit their reports by the middle of next month.

During the meeting, lasting nearly five hours, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy pressed for remunerative prices to farmers for their produce and measures to make farming profitable.

Mr. Badal and Mr. Hooda also sought a higher minimum support price (MSP) for wheat this rabi. The MSP for wheat is set at Rs. 850 a quintal and procurement is on.

Among others who attended the meeting were Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who presented their reports as heads of Working Groups.

Their Agriculture Ministers represented the Chief Ministers of Gujarat and West Bengal. Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Board Som Pal represented the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister.

Mr. Pawar urged the States to create a conducive environment for raising public investment in the farm sector and called for reforms in the extension and delivery services to overcome the deficit in credit, marketing and knowledge.

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