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Chennai , Oct. 7

PUBLIC policy should achieve synergy with technology and this will decide the progress of agriculture in the next few years, according to Dr M.S. Swaminathan, Vice-Chairman, Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission.

Technological progress is key to development in agriculture but it has outpaced social awareness of implications of such progress. This gap in awareness has led to a lot of debate on the benefits of genetically modified crops. However, developed countries such as the US have taken to biotechnology in a big way primarily because of the transparent policy approach and the social awareness of implications. The US consumer is aware that the required regulations are in place and professionals run the agencies regulating them.

In the UK, there has been extensive debate on the issue of genetically modified crops over the last five years when there has been a moratorium on commercialisation of such crops. More than 700 public debates and meetings were conducted on the issue, he said here today addressing a conference on `Roadmap for Indian Agriculture to be Contemporary', organised by the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

While the WTO regime opens up opportunities in new markets, only those who are competitive in terms of cost, quality and reliability will benefit. Policy approach to strengthen ecological security while increasing production and productivity, a policy on pesticides, diversification of farming with emphasis on horticulture and animal husbandry including aquaculture, prevention of diverting prime agriculture lands to non-agriculture uses are some the issues that need to be addressed, he said.

Enhancing public awareness to implications of technological developments and to WTO-related issues is an immediate need. The collapse of the WTO discussions at Cancun has given us some breathing space to address these issues since not much was done in this regard in the early stages in the 1990s, he said.

Industry bodies should take steps to enhance awareness of quality issues in WTO regime. Quality issues have a major potential to pose a hurdle in foreign trade. The National Horticulture Development Board, which was set up to address issues relating to exploiting the full potential of horticulture, has not replicated the success that the National Dairy Development Board had achieved in dairy sector. The difference was that professionals rather than bureaucrats headed the dairy development board, he said.

Mr Utpal Sen Gupta, President, Agro Tech Foods Ltd, said that agriculture should focus more on demand side rather than the supply side, which has been the major area of concern.

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