The Hindu Business Line : Call to step up investment in farm sector

INFUSION of higher levels of investment in agriculture, continuing domestic support, protection to growers and consumers by deploying tariff rates effectively and strengthening regional trade are some of the critical issues that need the attention of policymakers in the South Asian countries, the recently concluded South Asian regional conference of International Association of Agricultural Economists has recommended.

Although the South Asian economy as a whole gained momentum after initiation of the economic liberalisation process in the 1990s, the farming community and rural poor as a whole are losers after globalisation process was started, Dr Aldas Janaiah and Dr S. Mahendra Dev said in their summary report on conference deliberations and final recommendations.

Noting that the benefits of economic growth have not reached the farming community, especially rural poor who derive their livelihood directly or indirectly from agriculture, and that food and nutrition security has become serious issue of changing agriculture production system in the wake of globalisation, the authors said trends and experience point that food security from food accessibility perspective is the emerging concern for the rural poor after mid-1990s.

Doubling of total budgetary allocation of agriculture in the next five years from the present 4-8 per cent; higher outlay for research and development; and higher public investment for promotion of agro-processing industry to tap its tremendous employment and value-addition potential; and development of rural infrastructure are some of the recommendations of the meeting.

South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives) accounts for 23 per cent of the world population, but is home to as many as 40 per cent of the world's poor.

Farm sector reforms that were initiated over a decade ago have no doubt resulted in economic growth but the spread across regions and crops has been uneven.

Organised jointly by the Centre for Economic and Social Studies, International Food Policy Research Institute, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Indian Society of Agricultural Economics and Indian Society of Agricultural Marketing, the meeting discussed whether globalisation of agriculture in South Asia has made a difference to rural livelihood and came up with an answer in the negative.

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