The Hindu Business Line : Farmers' body: PMO should review farm activities

THE Confederation of Indian Farmers' Associations (COIFA), in a recent representation to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has called for a slew of measures aimed at achieving 4 per cent growth in agriculture in the next three years.

The COIFA has also called for revitalisation of the agriculture sector in partnership with the private sector, in areas of technologies, management skills, infrastructure and resources.

It has suggested that the Prime Minister's Office should carry out a monthly review of farm productivity or appoint a new group of farmers/industry representatives to provide the required feedback. Inadequate extension services and lack of mechanisation have been identified as major problem areas, which need tackling upfront.

Describing the meeting with the Mr Singh as highly satisfactory, Mr P. Chengal Reddy, Secretary-General of COIFA, told Business Line that a five-point strategy had been outlined for the immediate attention of the PMO.

The key features, he said, were productivity break-through, availability of hybrid seeds at affordable costs, higher farm productivity and quality improvement through effective private sector extension services, animal husbandry - breed improvement, empowerment of farmers and urgent administrative reforms. He visualised a substantial role for the private sector in creating an expanded distribution network, essentially for establishing connectivity with progressive farmers. Suggesting revitalisation of the existing Commodity Boards, Mr Reddy favoured agricultural research under control of farmers.

The key challenges before Indian farmers, according to him, are curtailing of waste, higher productivity & quality and WTO-related concerns.

Lamenting that agriculture had not received the necessary thrust despite reports of various committees headed by experts, Mr Reddy said the 2002-03 rice yield per hectare in Orissa, despite having a larger area under cultivation, was quite low at 7.6 quintal compared to Punjab (35.1 qtl) or even Kerala (22.3 qtl per ha).

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