Commonwealth forum seeks supportive policies for agriculture

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Wednesday urged all participating countries for a supportive policy framework for sustained agriculture growth. It also stressed for collective efforts to implement comprehensive policies in support of farmers.

Speaking on the role of parliamentary agricultural committees (PACs) in Asia region at a workshop here Wednesday, Tony Worthington of University of Greenwich (Britain) said that for Asian countries, agriculture could act as a catalyst of growth and poverty reduction.

Opposing the policy statement of G-20 focussing on capacity strengthening of institutions, Worthington said that unless work on grass-root individual extension work is done, no permanent solution for growth was possible.

While pointing out that agriculture, which was the most labour-intensive profession for Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, was the engine for growth in these countries, Worthington said that it was imperative to focus on this sector to tackle the growing pangs of unemployment.

He noted that half the labour force of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and over 60 percent population in India was engaged in agriculture sector and Commonwealth countries have to focus on increasing agricultural productivity to keep pace with increasing population growth in the subcontinent.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said that in a parliamentary system, parliamentary committees were a much needed institutional arrangements that allowed parliament to exercise its role more effectively and efficiently, besides assuring accountability of the executive to the people.

Bangladesh parliament Speaker and CPA chairperson Shirin Sharmin Chaudhary said that agriculture was the lifeline of any nation and its development was of paramount significance.

Advocating the need to help peasantry in general and the poor farmers in particular, she said all governments should come forward to bail them out from the existing worldwide crisis by extending liberal incentives.