Stressing the need to step up agriculture productivity, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, said the food output should grow at a minimum of two per cent annually to meet the country's demand by 2020-21.
This is double the average growth of one per cent that country achieved between 1995 and 2005.
No complacency
“We cannot afford to be complacent since the demand for horticulture and animal product is increasing very rapidly. This will require some shift of area away from production of food grains. Therefore, agricultural productivity in food grain production has to go up handsomely,” Dr Singh said.
He was addressing a workshop on policy initiatives for promoting partnership between stakeholders in agriculture with particular reference to rainfed and dryland farming at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Foodgrain output in 2011-12, according to second advance estimates, could touch a record 250 million tonnes, exceeding the target by five million tonnes, Mr Singh said.
The cotton output for the year is also pegged at a new record of 34 million bales.
Stressing that a strong agriculture sector is necessary for the country's food and nutritional security, Dr Singh said “without providing livelihood security to the farmers, we cannot achieve the goal of inclusive growth in its true sense”.
The UPA Government over the last seven and half years had given considerable attention to agriculture, channelising nearly Rs 4.75 lakh crores into agriculture and allied sectors. “Minimum support prices for key agricultural commodities have been significantly enhanced. Indeed they have been enhanced as never before,” he said.
Rise in gross capital
Stating that his Government's agricultural policies have yielded positive results, Dr Singh said the gross capital formation in agri and allied sectors has increased from 13.1 per cent of the GDP in agriculture in 2004-05 to 20.1 per cent in 2010-11.
“Agriculture and allied sectors have grown at an estimated rate of 3.5 per cent during the Eleventh Plan compared to the growth rates of 2.4 per cent and 2.5 per cent during the 10{+t}{+h} and 9{+t}{+h} Plans respectively,” Dr Singh said.