The Hindu Business Line : Failure on the farm

If there is a sense déjà vu in the speeches of the Prime Minister and other senior Government functionaries expressing concern over the sorry state of the country's agriculture no one can be faulted. The nation has heard all this before; but little has happened to farm growth. If anything, the annual average farm growth rate (1.3 per cent) has fallen considerably below even the population growth rate (1.8 per cent) in recent years. What has happened to the National Agriculture Policy of 2000 that envisaged a 4 per cent annual growth rate? Public investment in agriculture has been declining. Agricultural production has become unstable, having to continuously face both internal and external challenges. Loss of farm jobs and lack of non-farm employment are forcing the rural folk to migrate to cities. In extreme cases suicides are resorted to.

The latest lament on agriculture is from Dr Manmohan Singh during the valedictory address at the International Conference on Agriculture for Food, Nutritional Security and Rural Growth where the Prime Minister candidly admitted to bureaucratic hurdles stymieing extension services. Contrary to what he said, agriculture does not lend itself to 'bright' ideas from time to time. It is an activity in which there is no substitute to hard work; but this will pay dividends only when a supportive policy environment is in place. Today we are paying a price for the omissions and commissions of the last fifty years. The problems of agriculture have become so pervasive and entrenched that there is no single-step solution. Committed and sustained endeavour by all stakeholders is what is needed. Dr Singh is right that the challenge is to ensure that the benefits of food security are translated into nutrition security of the poorest and children and women. As pointed out in a recent United Nations report, 40 per cent of India's children are underweight. Another issue is the delivery mechanism which is far from satisfactory. Somewhere along the line, there is avoidable leakage and wastage.

It is clear that political interference and lack of accountability are the bane of the administration. There are numerous farm related programmes; but none to accept responsibility for implementation in totality or for failure. While food security is largely perceived as the responsibility of the Centre, promoting agriculture vest with the States. But the commitment of the State governments has been wanting; some of them are near bankrupt. Why else should a large number of irrigation projects (many of them `last-mile') languish for want of funds? As admitted by the Prime Minister, there is no dearth of funds and programmes. What is tardy is the implementation. It is perhaps time to rethink the way agriculture policy is designed. Can the Centre continue to rely on the States for farm growth or leave it at their mercy? A national debate on newer ways of raising farm growth is called for.

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