Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today expressed concern over ‘‘bureaucratic hurdles’’ that come in the way of revitalising extension services in the agriculture sector. He said that the private-public partnership (PPP) in agriculture had to be more than just a ‘‘buzzword’’.He was speaking at the international conference on Agriculture for Food, Nutritional Security and Rural Growth organised by the The Energy Research Institute (TERI) to commemorate the birth centenary of B P Pal, one of the architects of Green Revolution.The PM also expressed anguish at the condition of Bihar and Orissa, which are home to some of the top agri-research institutions. In spite of having institutions like the National Rice Institute, Orissa has a mono-cropping system (of rice), he said.At the same forum, quoting from the latest Punjab State Farmers’ Commission report, National Commission of Farmers chairman M S Swaminathan highlighted the crisis in India’s food-bowl, where despite an increase in production, the farmers continue to be poor.‘‘Punjab agriculture, based on wheat, rice and cotton, is highly input intensive. There is little scope for increasing production through increased use of inputs. The soil and water resources are being over-exploited. The current agricultural system in Punjab has become unsustainable,’’ he quoted from the latest report. On concerns of agricultural production having plateaued in the country in recent years, the Prime minister said there was a need to improve farm management practices to increase productivity. ‘‘There has to be an improvement in soil health, water conservation, credit delivery system and application of science to animal husbandry to achieve the second green revolution,’’ he said.Singh stressed on the need for fresh investments and a new wave of entreprenuership. While the agriculture credit system has to respond to the need of the farmers, greater public-private partnership was required to help revitalise the public institutions and programmes.The challenge, according to him, was to translate food security into nutritional security. ‘‘To sustain a higher rate of economic growth and make it more equitable and inclusive, our growth process has to be more broad-based,’’ Singh said, adding, it should translate into higher income for farmers and the rural poor.
