Poverty of ideas

One piece of good news in the new year could be the prospect of a rise in agricultural output in the forthcoming rabi season. This would help raise the rate of agricultural growth to nearly 7 per cent this year. The expected increase in food production is also bound to help the economy get out of the current slowdown. But the blessing may not be an unmixed one. The bountiful production is bound to add to the warehousing problems as the grain stocks with the government already stand at about 60 million tonnes. With further procurement, it will only add to the government’s warehousing worries. It is unfortunate that the government has still not found a solution to the problem of massive wastage in storage, while millions of people in the country are afflicted by sustained starvation.

There is something definitely wrong with the government’s food procurement policy. In a country in which millions of families are living below the poverty line, an effective system of food security is so crucial. Millions of farmers depend on the government’s procurement of foodgrains for their sustenance. Undoubtedly, the efficiency of the food security system needs to be vastly improved. Instead of PDS, foodgrain banks can be set up in villages, especially in tribal and backward areas. These would take care of the seasonal shortages in foodgrains. The ‘food for work’ programme, which was successful in the seventies, needs to be activated on an extensive scale. And better storage facilities must be created. The food processing industry has to be actively developed so that the farmers’ surpluses are profitably used.

Over the years, more farmers have shifted to foodgrain cultivation because of the government’s price support system. It is perhaps time to restructure this system so that greater diversification in crop patterns is achieved. Since agriculture is so important for the livelihood of the people, the farm sector must receive greater investments. Over the years, there has been a net outflow of resources from the farm sector. Yashwant Sinha has promised to pay more attention to agriculture in the next budget. Providing higher budgetary allocations for the improvement of rural infrastructure in the tenth Plan will help. A lot more needs to be done in facilitating the movement of goods, storage, processing and marketing as effective measures to ensure a sustained growth in agriculture in the years ahead.

Editorial from the Hindustan Times