The Hindu Business Line : Global agri meet to focus on technology

Bangalore, Sept. 13 An international conference and exhibition will be organised in May 2008 here to highlight the need to evolve a strategy to shore up the stagnant growth of the agriculture sector.

The meet will focus attention on technology that will help achieve higher productivity in both basic farm produce and help streamline the agro-food industry.

Agriculture production has been stagnant at 1.2 per cent even while the State’s agricultural exports at Rs 3,000 crore accounted only for a small percentage of a total estimated exports of Rs 1,00,000 crore.

Mr John Panikar, in his first meeting with the media after assuming as the President of the Bangalore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said focus on agriculture assumed greater important to enable the State to achieve a balanced growth.

Mr Panikar, who is also the Managing Director of Praxair India, said that the State’s economy was doing well at eight per cent racing with the national average of nine per cent GDP.

He added that “while current phase of growth and development seemed to be comfortable, the question was how to sustain and improve the rate of growth achieving faster development, higher incomes, greater employment, better quality of life and greater equity including reducing regional imbalance and bridging the urban-rural divide”.

Mr Panikar said infrastructure continued to be the weak link.