Liberalisation Hurt Farm Sector Growth, Says Ieg

The millennium study on the state of farmers has concluded that economic liberalisation has impeded agricultural growth in the absence of investment in rural infrastructure.

Liberalisation focused primarily on price-related issues even as public investment in agriculture continued to drop, it said.

The broad inference drawn from the 26 studies comprising the millennium study, which has been compiled by the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), is small and marginal farmers and landless labourers need to be involved in capitalising on increased export opportunities.