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Improve farm productivity: Sharad Pawar

Special Correspondent

Mismatch between demand, supply

KOLKATA: Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said here on Friday that India may become a net importer of foodgrains if states did not increase farm productivity.

“We have seen the Green Revolution and we have achieved self-sufficiency in foodgrains but with a one-billion-strong population, and changing food habits, increasing food grain production is a must,” he told the International Potato Convention on its concluding day.

Citing the example of wheat, he said the country recorded highest wheat production of 74.6 million tonnes last year and even four years ago there was ample stock of wheat. However demand was growing almost daily and there was a mismatch between demand and supply.

“Schemes such as employment guarantee increase purchasing power of people and this will further push up demand for foodgrains,” he said.

Congratulating West Bengal which has made major strides in agriculture, Mr. Pawar said: “State governments have to give sufficient attention to agriculture and to improvement in productivity.”

The Food and Agricultural Organisation has said in a report that the global community would face food shortages in 10 years. Also while countries such as the U.S. were diverting food crops — maize, for instance — to other uses such as bio fuels, rice-exporting countries like Vietnam and Thailand were planning to discourage exports.

He congratulated farmers for achieving growth rates exceeding four per cent for the last two years and urged them to maintain them.

“The agricultural growth rate has been depressing and unless this can be maintained at about four per cent it would be difficult to achieve a nine per cent growth rate,” he said.

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