Category: Agriculture

Such claims invite more cynicism than optimism! A mid-term review of the year, the economy projects a higher economic growth in agriculture. Some newspapers gave such figures like three to four per cent for agriculture, while others, more sober newspapers simply omitted the exact figures and simply talked of a ‘slightly higher growth rate in…

PM talks theory, theory, and theory! The Prime Minister had called a meeting of the full Planning Commisssion. What is the urgency? Obviously, the government is worried over the agri sector’s continuing growth decline. Farm growth decelerated since 1997 from 2.5 per cent to currently to a shameful 0.1 per cent! There is a decline…

Served notice for election-eve promises! We request Sharad Pawar for some more promises! Sharad Pawar, the Union Agri Minister, is supposed to be a very competent politician. And yet he is held responsible by the Election Commission for violation of election code! The reason? He promised several helps to farmers after the assembly elections! What…

There was this recent debate on constrains on agri growth. India’s well-known experts participated. Prof.C.H.Hanumantha Rao is a senior agri economist/expert. R.S.Deshpande heads the Bangalore-based Institute for Social and Economic Change. Sharad Joshi is a farmer’s leader and an MP. With them comes M.S.Swaminathan with his Commission on agriculture. In short, all agree on the…

PM talks of timely information in agriculture : Only IT revolution can change agriculture too! Sharad Pawar may be a competent administrator and an agri expert. But is days in the agri ministry hasn’t shown any dramatic initiatives Our agri sector is deprived of latest information and innovations There is simply no public-private sector interaction…

WTO is here to stay! India and farmers have to learn to make a success of WTO! WTO is a necessary good for the world agriculture. Without our agriculture or for that matter any country’s agriculture goods and services entering into the world trade the concerned agriculture goods and services won’t get the maximum prices….

Create an agricultural innovation subsidy fund We need innovative ideas and projects in agriculture and agribusiness development projects. It is a fact that Indian agriculture has become stagnant. Statistics have been bandied about by now by the Prime Minister, the Dy. Planning Commission boss and also by Sharad Pawar. There are simply no new innovative…

The new national policy is too long a statement and short on realistic issues! Agriculture can thrive only in a growing economy! More industrialisation, urbanisation and services sector can only make agriculture market-driven and more efficient! Who says agriculture can grow only when there is more concentration on agriculture. Yes, it seems ironic that those…