The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Alagh favours land use policy

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Thursday, Nov 22, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Alagh favours land use policy

Special Correspondent

Yoginder K. Alagh

HYDERABAD: Former Union Minister for Science & Technology Yoginder K. Alagh has underscored the need for a land use policy, as land scarcity is becoming the single greatest constraint for agriculture.

Delivering a lecture on ‘Agricultural growth and rural employment in rain-fed regions’ at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) here on Wednesday, Dr. Alagh denounced the practice of giving away huge tracts of land to industries.

Tenancy rights

He favoured conferment of tenancy rights so as to allow farmers to leverage their assets in any strategic partnership. Primary agricultural cooperative societies should give loans to tenant farmers against crop as a collateral security.

Dr. Alagh suggested a bifocal strategy for development of rain-fed regions in the 11th plan to reverse the decline in canal-irrigated and sown area and also profitability of rain-fed agriculture.

He favoured groundwater recharge programme in the public-private partnership model.

He wanted it to be integrated with employment guarantee scheme and modernisation of canal system below-distributory level.

A community based organisation model that could be facilitated by NGOs, and provide training involving all stakeholders was suggested in the 11th Plan.

Satellite imagery and creative use of resources and software, formed part of the recommendations of the working group headed by Mr. Alagh himself.

He said contract farming involving farmers to form small companies and eventually alignment with corporates would prove to be advantageous.

Dr. Alagh said the country did not have a comprehensive seed policy and cited the example of BT cotton as a failure of public policy.

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