Times Agricultural Journal

Farming for the Future

The Agro Index Seminar unites experts on contract farming and the need for moving up the value chain

The spotlight at the Agro Index seminar, organised on January 10, on the sidelines of the Maha Index Expo by the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and the Government of Maharashtra, was sharply focused on Ajit Singh, the Union Agriculture Minister. It was there that the Minister advocated a change in the Agriculture Produce and Marketing Act and a reduction in the level of intermediation between the farmer and the market.

Supporting the growth of contract farming and the contribution of the cooperative movement in agriculture, Mr Singh said that the private sector should come forward and lead in the second green revolution through biotechnology, horticulture and organic farming. Ironically, the Maharashtra Government has sworn off monetary support to new cooperative units a year back.

Mahesh Vyas, Chairman of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, said the economic reforms weren’t really packaged for the primary sector of the economy, as they emphasised infrastructural development and lower agriculture subsidies. Advocating transparency in the mandis, Mr Vyas said the entry of corporates should help in that direction.

Vikram Sarda, President of MCCI, pointed out that a lot still depended on factors colloquially known as asmani (rain) and sultani (policies).

In his welcome speech, Eknath Thakur, Vice President of MCCI, spoke about the role of the Chamber in promoting the private sector in agri business. In his vote of thanks, Rajkumar Choradia, Vice Chairman of MCCI, exhorted the agriculture and processing industries to work closely.

One voice rang out loud during the panel discussions that followed – it was time for India to move up the value chain of food products.

Dr Budhajirao Mulik, Chairman of Bhoomi Mata, exhorted the gathering to go for ‘end-product processing’. In a politically charged speech, he proposed backward integration in the business of agriculture, envisaging profit sharing with the farmer.

Among the other presentations, were those by Dr Ashok Kolaskar, Vice Chancellor of Pune University, who held forth on ‘Bioinformatics – past, present and future’, and Dr WM Dhumane, Deputy Controller of Patents and Design, Government of India, who pointed out why everyone should look at the patents regime in a new light. S Sridhar, Executive Director of Exim Bank, highlighted the opportunities that exports presented in the new world order.

Meanwhile, the Maha Index exhibition failed to muster the response the organisers had hoped for. Though the final figures were not available, the fair that promised to garner Rs 200-300 crore showcasing 22 industries, for sure fell short of the figure. At least it lent a focus to agriculture, an industry sparsely represented at such shows.

team Netscribes