This refers to Shreekant Sambrani's column "One hand clapping" (Et Cetera, December 16). Our agriculture industry is truly beset with problems. Though it provides employment to 50 per cent of the people, its productivity is very low - the output from arable land is 510 units per unit of land against China's 1,217 and Bangladesh's 1,200. Despite increasing production, rice and cotton have just one-third and one-sixth crop productivity as compared to the developed nations. No wonder the agricultural sector has never contributed the expected share of four per cent to the gross domestic product.
The measures to improve the sad scenario could be modelled on the very successful Gujarat experience - water conservation and management, rural electrification and distribution coverage, support to livestock development and regrouping of agriculture-supporting infrastructure like roads.
Other steps such as investment in irrigation, use of micro-irrigation technique, promotion of contract farming and modern farming practices like genetic modification of crops, high-tech faming in a controlled environment, mechanisation and so on can also be beneficial.
There is also a need for structural and procedural changes for the storage and sale of farm produce and eliminating middlemen.
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The Editor, Business Standard
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The measures to improve the sad scenario could be modelled on the very successful Gujarat experience - water conservation and management, rural electrification and distribution coverage, support to livestock development and regrouping of agriculture-supporting infrastructure like roads.
Other steps such as investment in irrigation, use of micro-irrigation technique, promotion of contract farming and modern farming practices like genetic modification of crops, high-tech faming in a controlled environment, mechanisation and so on can also be beneficial.
There is also a need for structural and procedural changes for the storage and sale of farm produce and eliminating middlemen.
Y G Chouksey Pune
Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201
E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number