No Blanket Okay For Corporate Agri-Farms: Mishra

He also declared that the government was against making agriculture a Central subject by including it in the concurrent list of the Constitution.

Speaking at the economic editors conference, Mishra said the US model of large farms owned and operated by industrial houses and corporate entities was unsuitable for India.

We would prefer to develop our agriculture on the lines of Korea or Japan where small farms predominate, he said.

He said the government will introduce legislation for the sui generis system of varietal protection in the forthcoming session. It will fully protect the rights of the farmers.

Mishra minced no words in declaring that farm subsidies will continue. He said he had rejected the suggestion for reduction in farm and food subsidies made by the World Bank team during its recent visit to the country.

 

We will reduce the subsidy in our own way by helping small and marginal farmers to raise output so that their dependence on subsidised food is reduced, he said

Replying to a question, the minister denied that there was any paucity of funds for agricultural development programmes. In fact, most state governments do not utilise the entire amount offered to them, he noted.

Mishra said the new agricultural policy will aim at development of non-green revolution areas.

The Centre is willing to offer a bonus, in addition to support prices, as an incentive for farmers in food deficit areas to grow more and contribute foodgrains to the Central pool.

This bonus can be funded from the money saved on transportation of grains from surplus to deficit areas.

Minister of state for animal husbandry Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said the animal husbandry sector would get priority in the ninth plan to enable it to maintain its high-growth trend.

The new animal husbandry policy is ready and will be announced after obtaining the states concurrence. A meeting of state animal husbandry ministers will be convened soon, he added.