New Delhi, July 22 (UNI) Suggesting to follow China model for boosting farmers’ income, the Economic Survey tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday recommended shift to high-value agriculture – fruits and vegetables, fisheries, poultry, dairy and buffalo meat from conventional farming.
The government’s flagship document also called for raising private sector investment in agriculture to provide impetus to the agriculture sector which contributes nearly 17% to India’s gross domestic product (GDP).
“They (small farmers) need to move to high-value agriculture – fruits and vegetables, fisheries, poultry, dairy and buffalo meat. Once the incomes of smallholders increase, they will demand manufactured goods, spurring a manufacturing revolution. That is what happened in China between 1978 and 1984 when the real incomes of farmers doubled in just 6 years. India is well-placed to emulate this,” it said.
“The performance of the agriculture sector remains critical for the economy’s growth and has been growing at an average growth rate of 4.18 percent over the last five years. The growing significance of allied sectors such as animal husbandry, dairying, and fisheries in enhancing farmers’ income suggests that greater emphasis should be placed on tapping into the potential of these activities to boost farmers’ incomes,” the Survey report said.
The Survey said that better post-harvest infrastructure and development of food processing sector can reduce wastage of food products and would ensure better prices for farmers.
The Survey said that productivity of crop sector can be enhanced by the participation of private sector. Moreover, “E-NAM, promoting FPOs, and allowing cooperatives to participate in agri-marketing can improve the market infrastructure and allow better price discovery”.
“E-NAM, promoting FPOs, and allowing cooperatives to participate in agri-marketing can improve the market infrastructure and allow better price discovery and such a competitive framework can drive states to strive for improved agricultural marketing,” the Economic Survey said.
