Other States - Uttar Pradesh   

Mayawati says new farm sector policy is optional

LUCKNOW: Within a week of announcing the Agriculture Infrastructure and Investment Policy, which opened Uttar Pradesh’s farm sector to private investors, the Bahujan Samaj Party Government on Thursday staged a climb down.

After stating that the new policy would revolutionise the agriculture sector and augment the income of the farmers, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati said here that the policy was optional and the farmers would not be compelled for contract farming. In fact, the Agriculture Policy was a voluntary and alternative arrangement and not a policy per se, she pointed out.

At a press conference, Ms. Mayawati dispelled doubts about the efficacy of the agriculture reforms, which the policy promised. She said the policy would be implemented only if the farmers were ready to adopt it. “But if the farmers were not in its favour they would not be forced to adopt the measure,” she said adding however that a massive publicity exercise would be launched to educate the farmers about the proposed measure.

Cabinet Secretary, Shashank Shekhar Singh, who was commissioned by the Chief Minister to answer some queries, denied that there was a move to amend or withdraw the policy. The existing mandi system would continue and only an alternative arrangement had been proposed.

Ms. Mayawati said she had been forced to offer a clarification as some vested interests and opposition political parties had raised a false alarm, through a section of the Press, and were trying to create confusion among the farmers. She alleged that some political parties were in league with middlemen whom the Government wanted to eliminate.

Ms. Mayawati denied that her government had been pressured by a particular corporate house to clear doubts. The Chief Minister remarked that unlike the Samajwadi Party, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party’s election campaign was not funded by business houses. The policy announced by the Government was only in the interest of the farmers and the people of the State.

On the contentious issue of contract farming, the Chief Minister clarified that the contract between the farmer and private players would be effective for the sale and purchase of farm produce only. At the same time, the farmers would be free to sell their produce in the open market, she said and emphasised that the farmers would retain their land ownership rights.

Claiming that the new measure would attract huge investments in the rural areas and create job opportunities, she dismissed speculation that use of chemical fertilizers would render the land barren.

The BSP Government’s climb down on the policy comes a day after the Samajwadi Party announced its decision to oppose the measure and support the August 14 bandh call given by the Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Mandal ( UP Traders’ Association ). The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India too had decided to protest against the policy.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Five of family commit suicide
Police on alert in western U.P.
Police stations to be computerised
Ansari acquitted in murder case
Mayawati says new farm sector policy is optional

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu