NCP president Sharad Pawar has turned blogger and in his maiden post sought to reply critics questioning his contribution as the agriculture minister.
"What has Mr Sharad Pawar done in the field of agriculture?" or "what is Mr Sharad Pawar's contribution to India's agricultural growth?" Such verbal missiles are often targeted at me. Good questions. Let's address them," the veteran leader said.
"Agriculture is an immensely complex proposition in a country known for its diversity," he said, adding that abundant diversity in soil and weather condition lead to variations in productivity from one region to another.
"Notwithstanding good production, the escalating import bills of pulses and edible oil has been a matter of concern. The tangle can be resolved by optimizing the resources by way of better input supply, adoption of technology, extension and R&D, vigorous marketing and remunerative prices," he said.
"I also believe that the scientific community should be given greater autonomy. This would enable scientists to make farming a viable proposition," the minister said.
"When UPA-1 assumed office, I volunteered to take charge of the agriculture portfolio as I had a blueprint in my mind to enhance the food yield in the country. The country's food grain production stood in the range of 200 million tonnes, barely sufficient to meet the domestic requirement," he said.
NCP's revamped website, on which the blog has been posted, was launched this evening by Union Minister Praful Patel, who said the party had decided to make use of social media to reach out to people.
