The Hindu Business Line : Farm focus

The Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukerjee, has presented a truly aam aadmi Budget, benefiting the various sections of poor. For agriculture, loans of Rs 3,25, 000 crore will presumably be channelled through banking institutions for reclamation of lands and various long-term development projects.

Mr Mukherjee has announced interest concession of 6 per cent per annum only for crop loans, with an incentive of one per cent reduction for prompt repayment.

However, there is no roadmap for rural infrastructure development, including marketing of produce. Further, the classification of small and big farmers is to be done according to the nature of lands, such as wetlands, dryland and horticulture lands.

Most farmers in the country hold fractional lands that are not viable for modern cultivation.

The Andhra Pradesh Government has announced the village as a whole unit and the landowners are stakeholders. This system should be introduced in all the States with an expert agriculture officer in charge of the development of agriculture and allied activities. The Centre should prepare a blueprint for a joint farming system.

V. S. Sankaran e-mail