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Dr P.K. Mishra

Our Bureau

Coimbatore, June 17

The Secretary in the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, Dr P.K. Mishra, stressed the need for appropriate policies to establish effective linkages between farm production, retail chain and food processing industries.

Hailing the Tamil Nadu Government and the farm varsity for focusing on agricultural progress, he said, the ‘Green Revolution sounds simple now. But the growth that we now record in agricultural production would throw up new and complex challenges, especially in marketing and effective linkages in supply chain. We need to focus not only on extension, but in taking technology to farmers.’

He was here to inaugurate a two-day stakeholders’ workshop on supply chain management of agricultural commodities at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

Emphasising the need for well regulated markets to drive growth, employment and economic prosperity in rural areas, he said ‘to provide dynamism and efficiency to the marketing system, large investments would be required in post-harvest technologies.

Enabling policies have to be put in place to encourage procurement of agricultural commodities, establishing effective linkage between farm production, retail chain and food processing industries.’

He lamented at the highly inadequate and inappropriate infrastructural facilities in the regulated markets, lack of standardisation and grading facilities, fragmented supply chain and the consequent loss and wastage.

Highlighting the importance of standardisation as a special tool to improve supply chain efficiency, he said, ‘There are multiple agencies and a variety of standards in the food and agricultural commodities sector. We need a harmonisation of standards and a single regulatory system for their enforcement across the country. The newly notified Food Safety Standards Act is expected to bring harmony and provide a platform for their promotion and implementation through the single-window system.’

Citing a Crisil research, he said, the estimate shows that a better supply chain management with fewer middlemen and logistical costs in organised retail would help save over Rs 1,00,000 crore even if retailers maintained the current mark-up levels.

He reiterated the importance of revitalising the supply chain management in agriculture.

Mr S. Kosalaraman, Tamil Nadu Agriculture Commissioner and Director of Horticulture, said the State Government has kicked off innovative measures to revitalise agriculture.

‘In the first phase, the department was restructured into a two-tier system to provide technological support and input supply, among others. We are concentrating on farmers’ education to ensure proper adoption of system of rice intensification (SRI) technology in paddy cultivation.

During 2007-08, 4.2 lakh hectares were brought under SRI. We plan to enhance the area to 7.5 lakh hectares in 2008-09.’

More Stories on : Supply Chain Management | Technology | Tamil Nadu

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