Madhya Pradesh governor Balram Jakhar called on farmers to practice group farming to overcome problems caused by small and scattered holdings. | |
| Delivering the convocation address at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Dharwad on Tuesday, he said a system of joint services should be evolved, as it is not advantageous for farmers to work in isolation. Jakhar cautioned against complacency in the agriculture sector, which faces problems that are of a different nature and complexities. |
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| He said that the fertility of soil was decreasing due to cultivation of certain crops without any addition of organic nutrients. The farmers use chemical fertiliser with the impression that yield will increase when greater quantities were applied. |
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| "We are in a dilemma. It is often argued that ths use of chemical fertiliser creates health hazards and hence their use should be minimal," he said. ?But in a country where the population is increasing by a higher proportion than the agricultural production, inorganic fertiliser cannot be ignored." |
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| Jakhar said that the problem was on maintaining a balance between organic and inorganic fertiliser. Need of the day was to evolve an integrated nutrient management system. There was a problem of deep soil erosion because of floods and the increased destruction of forests. Due to rapid urbanisation, agricultural land was decreasing. According to an estimate, the per capita average availability of agricultural land in 2050 will be less than one hectare due to the ever-increasing population. The farmers must hence be educated in the use of crop rotation, he said. |
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| Jakhar said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has targetted an increase in agriculture production from 210 million tones to 420 million tones by 2015 and the country was aspiring to usher in a second Green Revolution. Though the target was laudable, the task was not that easy. This might require serious thinking relating to several aspects. |
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| The former Union agriculture minister said adequate and timely supply of agricultural inputs was another serious problem. Farmers, particularly small and marginal farmers still borrow from moneylenders. Kisan credit card system was being implemented as to make credit available to the farmers. So far, only 4.5 crore kisan credit cards have been issued by he commercial and cooperative banks, a large number by the latter. |
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| He said, recently WTO has reached an agreement in Hong Kong to reduce export subsidies to agriculture by 2013. To compete in the open market economy globally it was essential to make agricultural production system more efficient. While productivity will have to be increased, the quality of produce must also be of international standards to face competition, he asserted. |
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