Agro processing key to Punjab rural revival: Expert

"The economy of rural Punjab cannot sustain itself unless traditional agriculture gives way to agro-processing with appropriate linkages with marketing and consumption. This calls for more public-private partnerships and investments. It is time to set up more agro-based units in villages," said M S Bajwa, former director (research) at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and now on its board of management.

"Focus must shift from production to processing, and value addition can resuscitate economies and raise incomes of farmers, particularly small and marginal, and asset-less rural workers. It is time to improve the quality of farm produce and products, making them acceptable in the global market. To do so, a wider perspective is required with emphasis on agricultural exports. It will check declining profits and improve the efficiency of small processing units handling fruits and vegetables with low efficiency, obsolete machinery, and poor packaging," he added.

Dr Bajwa said the "vision document" of the central ministry of food processing had set a target of exporting processed farm products worth Rs 1350,000 crore by 2015, against the present exports of Rs 460,000 crore.

"Punjab should grab this opportunity and set up special economic zones, agro-export zones and frame policies for region-specific crop zones. It must adopt a 'village cluster' approach for agro-processing after a socio-economic analysis. Farm training-education-research relationship must be strengthened. Quality control regulations to make agriculture a commercial proposition are necessary to re-stabilise the rural economy," he said.

The president of the Punjab Kisan Club, Pavittarpal Singh Pangli, said the currently recommended farm-diversification plans had failed to control declining profitability for want of adequate support for the competitive agro-industry and remunerative markets.

"Punjab must ensure globally competitive high quality agro-products which are high in calories, proteins and vitamins."