Giving his keynote address at a seminar on ‘Odisha Agriculture, Challenges and Prospects’ at Jupiter Science College here, former bureaucrat Sudarsan Nayak discussed on the problems and challenges in agriculture sector of Odisha and the key initiatives in the National Policy on Agriculture.
He said the major challenges are low productivity, low investment, low returns, severe losses due to natural calamities, fluctuating supply of inputs like quality seeds, fertilizer and irrigation, low agri credit, lack of reliable insurance cover, marketing, storage, organic farming, low floriculture, low horticulture, agriculture equipment and machinery, soil and water conservation and research and extension etc.
Saying that the national policy on agriculture seeks to actualise the vast untapped growth potential of Indian agriculture, he said over the next two decades, it aims to attain over 4 per cent annual growth rate.
Besides, it also aims to achieve greater private sector participation through contract farming, price protection for farmers, dismantling of restrictions on movement of agricultural commodities throughout the country, rational utilisation of country’s water resources for optimum use of irrigation potential, high priority to development of animal husbandry, poultry, dairy and aquaculture, capital inflow and assured markets for crop production, exemption from payment of capital gains tax on compulsory acquisition of agricultural land, minimising fluctuations in commodity prices, continuous monitoring of international prices, protection of plant varieties through legislation, adequate and timely supply of quality inputs to farmers, high priority to rural electrification, setting up of agro-processing units and creation of off-farm employment in rural areas.
Nayak said that in national priority setting, the issues to be considered for sustainable agriculture development and alleviation are population pressure and demographic transition, resource base degradation and water scarcity, investment in agriculture, structure adjustment and impact on the poor, globalisation and implication on the poor, modern science and technology and support to research and technology development, rapid urbanisation and urbanisation of poverty and deceleration in rural poverty reduction.
He opined that a policy statement on agriculture must take note of the uncommon opportunities like conservation of natural resources and protection of environment, vast untapped potential of our soil and water resources and farming system, technology revolution especially in the areas of molecular biology, biotechnology, space technology, ecology and management, revolution in informatics and communication and the opportunity of linking farers, extension workers and scientists with the national and international databases.
While former VC OUAT Dr DP Ray presided, among others who spoke included former Dean OUAT Prof DibakarNayak, former Director, Horticulture Dr SN Behera, Dr SS Nanda, Dr HN Atibudhi, Prof lalit Mohan Garnayak, Dr Santosh Kumar Panda and Dr Dilip Kumar Das.