Swaminathan For Foodgrain Banks To Cut Storage Cost

Noted agricultural policy expert M S Swaminathan has advocated the setting up of foodgrain banks with emphasis on grid development to help save on expenditure incurred on storage and transportation of foodgrain in Maharashtra.

He also stressed the need for community feed and fodder banks so as to enable the families of landless labour in the state to take up animal husbandry by providing high quality but low on cost fodder and feed to further improve employment opportunities.

Swaminathan added that farmers should improve the quality of agricultural produce and work towards reducing cost of production.

He was speaking at the first meeting of the high-level committee set up by the state government under his chairmanship to prepare a draft for development of agriculture in Maharashtra in the next 25 years.

Swaminathan hoped that the committee, set up by the state government for suggesting long-term and short term recommendations to be incorporated in the ensuing Five Year Plan, would be able to submit its report by June-July 2002.

He noted that the government had already set up boards to advice farmers on the use of land.