The Hindu Business Line : AP to set up Agriculture Technology Mission

THE Andhra Pradesh Government proposes to set up an Agriculture Technology Mission under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. The mission will aim for increasing agricultural productivity by 40 per cent in the next five years.

Stating this in his 33-page address to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, the State Governor, Mr Surjit Singh Barnala, said that the new Government would endeavour to achieve an overall annual agricultural growth of 6 per cent in real terms. Besides, remunerative prices for agricultural produce would be ensured to the farmers by creating access to market intelligence and need based market intervention.

The Governor also reiterated the ruling Congress Government's commitment to reforms, "which essentially aim at deregulation and lesser Governmental interference in business". Except under exceptional circumstances, the State Government would not get into commercial activities.

At the same time, the Government was against privatisation of any public sector unit that would lead to a private monopoly. The Government does not believe in privatisation for its own sake, unless such privatisation improved competition and offered better service to the consumers.

Outlining the Government's policies, the Governor said that special priority would be given to biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, food processing and hi-tech manufacturing. The Government was also committed to improving the facilities for attracting greater investments especially in the business process outsourcing sector for giving boost to the economy.

The Government was committed to bring back into operation all viable sick industrial units in the State. Necessary assistance would be extended through an attractive revival package. A special enactment would be made for regulating the labour policies to facilitate smooth conduct of industrial activity.

Besides, the Governor said, tourism would be the major focus of growth for which adequate budgetary allocations would be made. Top priority would be accorded for creation of basic infrastructure like roads, ports, airports, telecommunication and social infrastructure. It was also proposed to use the existing optical fibre network in the State for improving literacy and for imparting new technologies to the farmers and rural artisans and strengthening grievance redressal mechanism in all matters relating to governance.

Mr Barnala said that the Government would come up with a scheme to provide necessary funds for implementing the Universal Health Insurance Scheme announced by the Union Government. Regulation of the private healthcare sector was also proposed through appropriate legal and administrative measures so that the private sector would honour its commitment for providing free and affordable health facilities to the poor.

A separate department would be created for the development of rain shadow areas. Production of ethanol from tapioca, sugarcane and maize for blending alternate fuel would be encouraged. The implementation of ongoing micro irrigation project would be intensified to cover 5 lakh hectares in the next 5 years.

Referring to the incidents of suicides by farmers, the Governor said that the Government would do everything possible to improve the economic viability of agriculture.

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