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Experts at CII’s Chandigarh Agro Tech Fair demand higher MSP for crops
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Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
November 26 , 2014
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At the Agro Technology and Business Fair, which took place in Chandigarh
recently and was hosted by the Confederation of the Indian Industries
(CII), focussed on the development of the agriculture and food
processing industries, the speakers demanded a higher minimum support
price (MSP) for crops.
The event, whose partner ministries were
the ministries of agriculture and food processing industries (MoFPI),
witnessed participation from 36 international exhibitors and 126
domestic exhibitors.
The Central Institute for Research on
Buffaloes; the Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers’ Association of
India (CLFMA) of India; the Crop Care Federation of India; the
Fertiliser Association of India; the Micronutrient Manufacturers’
Association; the National Seed Association of India; the Pesticide
Formulators’ Association of India, and the Progressive Dairy Farmers’
Association.
The chief ministers of Haryana and Punjab (the host
states) and agriculture secretary Ashish Bahuguna attended the event, at
which the Indian and global agricultural community converged. However,
agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh and food processing industries
minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal were absent.
Haryana chief minister
Manohar Lal Khattar said, “There is an urgent need to promote the agro
processing industry and set up the required logistic network and supply
chain, including cold chains, to reduce the burden on the soil and
increase the farmers’ earnings.”
“We are planning to launch
Krishi cards and introduce cold storage units across the state, so that
the agro processing industry benefits. We are also promoting cooperative
farming for small farmers, so that they do not have to resort to
distress sales to geta profitable price,” he added.
“The
industry, scientists and the government should come together to create
better private-public partnerships, develop better warehousing systems
and invest in research and development (R&D) to develop better
seeds, fertilisers and techniques, with a focus on increasing the
productivity of small and marginal farmers,” Khattar said.
In his
inaugural speech, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal urged
Bahuguna to ask the agriculture minister to maximise the Centre’s role
in developing the agriculture and food processing industries. He
concurred with the Swaminathan Committee, which recommended that the
Centre fix the MSP of crops keeping in mind the rising input costs.
“In
Punjab, farmers are indebted to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore. If the
Swaminathan formula is not implement, there would be more suicides. As
agriculture is the economy’s backbone, I urge the Centre to have a
separate budget for it, on the lines of the railway and defence
budgets,” he added.
“Moreover, there is an urgent need for the
development and modernisation of water irrigation facilities (such as
canals), and to renew the focus on developing technology and research.
The Centre should provide funds to all the agricultural universities
that are financially starved,” Badal stated.
The Punjab chief
minister also recommended that a concession on loans be given to small
and marginal farmers, and suggested that it should be set at just two
per cent. “This would help make farming more lucrative and bring latency
to the sector,” he added.
“Farmers from Punjab and Haryana have
contributed a lot to the agricultural sector of the country, and now
stakeholders like the Centre, state governments and the industry, must
support them in their quest,” Badal said.
“For long, farmers from
the two states have come to the rescue of the country in terms of its
food needs, and the onus is now on the Centre to streamline policies to
support them,” he added, stating that it was heartening to note that the
Modi government had a focussed policy for the development of the
sector.
“To encourage diversification, which would save the
burden on soil and water, the Centre must start the procurement of such
commodities as maize, pulses and cereals, for which it has just fixed
the MSP,” Badal said.
Bahuguna said, “The challenges before the
Indian agricultural sector are immense. Farmers in India earn just
1/10th of the total earnings of non-farmers. Our farmers’ incomes must
be increased through innovative measures. To achieve this, the pattern
of agriculture must change. We must move towards newer vistas like
horticulture and animal husbandry.”
Brad Wall, premier of the
Canadian province of Saskatchewan, was among the dignitaries present. He
said, “We look forward to partnering with India in aspects of research
and bringing innovations in agriculture. Currently, we have nearly 43
active agreements in force.”
“University of Saskatchewan is
working in close cooperation with the University of Hyderabad to develop
nearly 90 varieties of chickpeas. We are also working in sequences of
student exchanges and in research and development, and would continue to
do so in the future as well,” Wall added.
Ajay S Shriram,
chairman and managing director, DCM Shriram Ltd, and president, CII,
said, “There is a renewed optimism with the new government supporting
agricultural policies. The new developments by the government have added
a renewed vigour to the sector, and have provided a critical
opportunity to India to establish itself at the top.”
“But to
achieve the same, key barriers need to be eliminated. The public-private
partnership model must be strengthened to help reduce post-harvest
losses and thus rationalise the market,” he added.
“We believe
that we can achieve it by streamlining measures. We must set up
processes; undertake brand-building exercises; develop talent; develop
agricultural research; scale innovative solutions; promote
mechanisation; develop robotics; increase the number of cold storage
units and research laboratories; promote venture-capital funding and
develop a national agricultural mission,” Shriram added.
“We
believe that the potential of the sector is manifold, and Agro Tech has
been successful in establishing itself as a key stakeholder in the
development of the sector. By helping to infuse key tech integrities,
CII has established a distinctive position in the industry. And the
gathering here is a testimony to the same,” he said.
Dr Pawan
Goenka, chairman, CII Agro Tech 2014; Chandrajit Banerjee, director
general, CII; Zubin Irani, chairman, CII Northern Region, and Salil
Singhal, co-chairman, CII National Council on Agriculture and chairman
and managing director, P I Industries Ltd, were also present.
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