Maharashtra launches Rs 10,000-cr plan to create farmland

Trigger is negative farm growth in state compared to double-digit achieved elsewhere, ex-Nabard chief to head dry land mission

The Congress-led government in Maharashtra has launched an ambitious Rs 10,000-crore scheme to turn 12.5 million hectares of arid land into a cultivable one in the next five years.

The state has registered negative growth of 1.4 per cent in agriculture compared to Gujarat (10.8 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (18 per cent) and Bihar (17.6 per cent). This has prompted the government to undertake such a scheme, as performance of Congress-ruled states has come under sharp focus during Assembly elections held recently.

The party insiders said improvement in the growth in agriculture and allied sectors would be one of the planks in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections and the subsequent Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2014. This will be prominently featured in the party's election manifesto, too.

State Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said Maharashtra registered negative agriculture growth due to geographical and geological restrictions.

''Nearly 80 per cent land is dry and the agriculture is restricted to 20 per cent area. Besides, the rapid urbanisation is also putting pressure on farm land. Therefore, a Rs 10,000-crore plan to cover dry land spread over 12.5 million hectares has been launched last year.  The proposed investment is backed by both the central and state governments,'' the minister said.

Vikhe-Patil said the government had roped in former chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) YSP Thorat to lead the Dry Land Mission to be implemented in five years. The government was committed to give a boost to farm growth by taking the farmers on board, he added.

According to the minister, the government would step up efforts to implement micro-irrigation, micro-management and soil health projects, which would further enhance growth in the sector.

The state government has also focused on the public-private partnership for integrated agriculture development (PPP-IAD) project under the New Agriculture Initiative of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The forum has chosen Maharashtra as the only region along with four countries and a group of African countries, Grow Africa, for the initiative aimed at "catalysing and supporting PPP platforms for sustainable agricultural goal". The four countries are Tanzania, Vietnam, Indonesia and Mexico.

Vikhe-Patil said the project aimed at creating a value-chain in agriculture by involving corporates that would work with farmers' groups or associations from production to marketing stages.