Farm policy to be re-oriented

Krishi Vigyan Kendras will be set up in every districts of the country by the end of the Ninth Plan. The World Bank-assisted 250 million National Agriculture Technology Project NATP and UP Diversified Agriculture Support Project UPDASP will use infotech for extension work in 24 districts in 6 participating states.

Plant Variety Protection and Farmers8217; Rights8217; legislation will be enacted toensure traditional breeding rights of farmers and the community.

He said that agriculture extension policy will take into account the imbalances in agricultural growth both cropwise and region wise, suggest means and tools to measure these imbalances and find out the reasons for plateauing of agricultural growth in certain areas of the country and suggest remedies.

He stated that according to an ICAR report, agricultural productivity in green revolution areas of Punjab and Haryana has been on decline due to excessive use of chemical fertilisers. Exessive use of ground water has depleted the water table.

The excessive use of chemical fertilisers have also degraded the soil health and excessive dependance on chemical pesticides and insecticides have created new health and environment hazards. Even the milk of cows and buffaloes are not free from chemical toxins as they ate fodder sprayed upon by chemical pesticides and insecticides.

Sompal also stated that the new farm extension policy will alsoconsider the use of traditional methods and modes of agriculture and test their utility in the present context. He said that use of traditional green manuaring, compost, vermi-culture and bio-fertilisers is likely to improve the soil health.

Similarly the use of natural enemies to pests and use of bio-pesticides is likely to free the crops from any chemical residues and remove any possible threats to health and environment. The traditional methods of tillerage also maintained the soil health.

Sompal, however, stated that he was not totally opposed to the modern scientific methods of agriculture which was responsible for ushering in Green Revolution in the country. Certain adverse fallout of green revolution can be effectively remedied through traditional practices. Similarly equitable distribution of resources in the area will reduce the cost and subsidy burden for agriculture and arrest the depletion of ground water table. In this context, the traditional practices has to be considered and a fine blendof both the traditional and modern practices should be arrived at, he said.

He disclosed that the new agriculture policy has incorporated these traditional practices in Article 5. The minister noted that there has been a multiplicity of players in agriculture extension from both private and state sectors for cropwise, inputwise and for credit. The all these extension services should be well coordinated under an umbrella setup and farmers involvement in the process should be assured.