Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s criticism of the UPA government’s policies in a letter to the prime minister is an eye-opener for anyone working on the economic development of India. It’s amply clear that without substantial growth in farm incomes, emerging market economies like India will not see sustainable economic growth along with rapid poverty alleviation. The recent ban on exports of key agricultural commodities like cotton, sugar and milk only shows that policy-making in New Delhi has internal contradictions and is anti-growth. Such a ban is an indirect tax on agriculture. What, then, is the point of complaining that the growth rate of agricultural production is only 2.5 per cent, way below the Planning Commission’s target of four per cent?
Chandrashekhar G Ranade Yokohoma, Japan
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