Farming
for the future
The
Agro Index Seminar unites experts on contract farming and the need for
moving up the value chain
The
spotlight at the Agro Index seminar, organised on January 10 on the
sidelines of the Maha Index expo by the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (MCCI) and the Government of Maharashtra, was sharply focused
on Ajit Singh, the Union Agriculture Minister. It was there that the
Minister advocated a change in the Agriculture Produce and Marketing
Act and a reduction in the level of intermediation between the farmer
and the market.
Supporting
the growth of contract farming and the cooperative movement in agriculture,
Mr Singh said that the private sector should come forward and lead in
the second green revolution through biotechnology, horticulture and
organic farming. Ironically, the Maharashtra Government has sworn off
monetary support to new cooperative units a year back.
| Economic
reforms are not really packaged for the primary sector, as they
emphasise infrastructural develpment and lower agricultural subsidies |
Mahesh
Vyas, Chairman of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, said the
economic reforms weren’t really packaged for the primary sector of the
economy, as they emphasised infrastructural development and lower agriculture
subsidies. Advocating transparency in the mandis, Mr Vyas said the entry
of corporates should positively help in that direction.
Vikram
Sarda, President of MCCI, pointed out that a lot still depended on factors
colloquially known as asmani (rain) and sultani (policies).
In
his welcome speech, Eknath Thakur, Vice President of MCCI, spoke about
the role of chamber in promoting the private sector in agri business.
In his vote of thanks, Rajkumar Choradia, Vice Chairman of MCCI, exhorted
the agriculture and processing industries to work closely.
One
voice rang out loud during the panel discussions that followed – it
was time for India to move up the value chain of food products. Dr Budhajirao
Mulik, Chairman of Bhoomi Mata, exhorted the gathering to go for ‘end-product
processing’. In a politically charged speech, he proposed backward integration
in the business of agriculture, envisaging profit sharing with the farming
and other related communities.
Among
the others were presentations by Dr Ashok Kolaskar, Vice Chancellor
of Pune University, who held forth on ‘Bioinformatics – past, present
and future’, and Dr WM Dhumane, Deputy Controller of Patents and Design,
Government of India, who pointed out why everyone should review the
patents regime in a new light. S Sridhar, Executive Director of Exim
Bank, highlighted the opportunities in that exports presented in the
new world order. Meanwhile, the Maha Index exhibition failed to muster
the response the organiserss had hoped for. Though the final figures
were not available, the fair that promised to garner Rs 200-300 crore
showcasing 22 industries, fell short of the
figure.
