'Rich nations must open up'

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said there could be no fair globalisation so long as developed countries continued to subsidise their farmers and restrict the access of farm products from the developing world into their markets.

Bhattacharjee conceded that globalisation is a fact of life and India needs private and international investment, but added that it would not succumb to international pressure to open markets without a reciprocal gesture from the developed nations.

Addressing national and foreign delegates at the three-day "Foodworld India 2005: The Next Link in the Global Food Value Chain" organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the ministry of food processing industries, the chief minister said globalisation should be in mutual interest and opening of markets could not be one-sided.

He listed the factors constraining agriculture, food processing and horticulture sectors as lack of political will to implement land reforms throughout the country and the extremely low contribution of agriculture to GDP compared with the number of people engaged in it.

The priority areas that cried out for attention were diversification of agricultural production, putting in place infrastructure and a market mechanism, technological upgrade and setting up of multi-purpose cold storages and cold chains.

He said West Bengal was serious in its intent to implement the recommendations of the National Horticulture Mission and had set up five agri export zones and targeted putting in place 10 food parks in the state, besides setting up multi-purpose cold chains at Kolkata and North Bengal airports.

Earlier, Minister of Food Processing Industries Subodh Kant Sahai, in his inaugural address, said the Food Safety and Standards Bill is expected to receive parliamentary approval in the winter session.

The Bill, on being enacted, would subsume a large number of Acts and orders that are currently being administered by various authorities.

The minister said there was a need to reduce costs by taking a re-look at taxes and levies to make food chain competitive. The government is planning to constitute a group of ministers so that all agencies and ministries can address these and other vexed issues in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.