The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : YSR reminds world of dull farm scene

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

YSR reminds world of dull farm scene

Special Correspondent

At the World Agricultural Congress, he calls for huge investment in farm sector, rural infrastructure

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has called for increased investments in agriculture and allied sectors to provide food and nutrition security to the masses. Delivering the key-note address to the World Agricultural Congress-2007 at St. Louis in the United States on Tuesday, Dr. Reddy said the scenario on the agricultural front world-wide was not heartening.

Increasing demands on limited resources due to population explosion had already led to degradation of bio-diversity, falling water tables, shrinking forests, expanding deserts and rivers getting dry.

He said that Governments across the globe were now compelled to address problems of food shortage. Rising oil price was leading to a shift in favour of production of sugarcane, corn, rapeseed, mustard, sunflower, potato and palm oil so that alternative fuels like ethanol could be produced, he said. This in turn was adversely impacting food grain production since land availability for it was dwindling, he warned.

Citing the agricultural growth in South-East and East Asian nations and China as the main reason for the decline in rural poverty, Dr. Reddy said food security could never be achieved if farm sector was neglected. Lauding the efforts of the UPA Government in transforming the face of agriculture in India, he said without making huge investment in agriculture and rural infrastructure, education and markets, it would be difficult to enhance farmers 'incomes.

Zeroing in on Andhra Pradesh, he said emphasis was being laid for development of rain-fed areas as at least 40 per cent of agriculture was dependent on rainwater. He also explained the welfare schemes in the State.

Invite to US firms

On Monday, he had invited the Chief Executive Officers of US companies offering agriculture solutions, to open shop in Andhra Pradesh promising them incentives and an investor- friendly administration. A press release from the Chief Minister's Office said that top industrialists and agriculturists evinced keen interest in investing in the State.

Optimum Agricultural Solutions and Irrigation System (OASIS), a US-based non-profit organisation came up with a specific offer to counter farmers' problems here.

Some research organisations like Danforth Plant Sciences Centre, St. Louis expressed willingness to work with Indian agricultural research institutions.

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