The national Budget has taken unprecedented measures to reform and revive the agriculture sector but it needs a proper balance between profitability and sustainability, in agriculture. Experts raised the serious concern at a policy dialogue organised by the Centre for Policy, Governance and Advocacy (CPGA) here.
The meeting was inaugurated by former Finance Minister Panchanan Kanungo. Several experts, senior journalists, practitioners and academics joined to deliberate on the most important issue of agriculture and how to make it climate resilient, sustainable and profitable.
Chairman of CPGA Tejeswar Parida introduced the guests and briefly reviewed the Economic Survey of 2019-20 with a focus on agriculture.
Dr Himanshu Shekhar Rout of Utkal University said that Indian agriculture was facing the dual challenge of farm income and rural employment opportunities. He stressed on the need for proper management of land and natural resources, besides tackling issues like MSP, credit linkage, crop insurance, market linkage and commercial farming.
Former Agriculture Production Commissioner Sanjeev Hota shared several examples on how the farmers were marginalized due to Government and corporate interventions.
Natabar Sarangi highlighted about the age old tradition of farming and how the modern science has imposed chemicals on agri-practices.
Dr Sarba Narayan Mishra of OUAT suggested several measures to improve the procurement practices.
Binaya Kumar Paty expressed concern that without focus on marketing the agriculture sector was not going to be profitable. He suggested that wholesale markets should be shifted out of the city; good marketing practices in Municipality and Panchayat markets under the supervision of State Agricultural Marketing Board; surplus funds lying in different RMCs be transferred to the State market fund as provided for in the APMR Act of Odisha. Besides, he told that agriculture marketing under the Department of Cooperation should go to Agriculture Department and all the line departments like animal husbandry, horticulture, fishery, sericulture should have a dedicated marketing cell.
Dibakar Nayak spoke about climate Change and drought impacting agricultural productivity and crop variation,
AK Nayak said water productivity needed to be enhanced by increasing 10% of water use efficiency through precision and on-firm water management.
BK Sahu laid stress on more focus on innovation.
Siba Shankar Mohanty raised concern that over 25 per cent of land area was undergoing rapid desertification.