Indian IT cos not interested in development of Agri sector

Chicago, Oct 6 (PTI) Agriculture in India has not grown
much as information technology giants were not interested in
the problems of this sector and to maintain its food self-
sufficiency in the next decade India needs to unleash its
agricultural sector, experts said.
"India's green revolution was based on improved crops,
application of fertilizers and irrigation. Agriculture had not
grown as much because the leaders of Information Technology
were not interested in the problems of agriculture," said
Robert Easter, Vice President and Chancellor, University of
Illinois in Urbana Champaign, said while addressing a
symposium on "Opportunities for Innovation in Indian
Agriculture Sector" organised by the Consulate General of
India Mukta Tomar in partnership with the Chicago Council on
Global Affairs.
Agriculture was not viewed as a substantial market
and was viewed as an area of risk, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Sam Pitroda, Advisor to the
Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure
and Innovation expressed need for a comprehensive strategy
inclusive of good brains to tackle the grassroot problems of
Indian society.
"The best brains are solving the problems of the rich who
don't have any problems. We need to focus on growth and the
top of the pyramid are more capable - they have lots of money,
are smarter in many ways," Pitroda said.
Pitroda, who is in-charge of the National Innovation
Council said that 2010-2020 will be called the Decade of
Innovation "we are currently working on a bamboo cluster in
Agartala that provides jobs to 300,000 people."
Pitroda said that he was behind opening of the first
food bank in Delhi and second in Haryana.
Indian Agriculture Secretary P K Basu, while addressing
the seminar, mentioned about the lack of access to capital,
absence of infrastructure, difficulty in obtaining competitive
priced inputs, market distortion due to international trade
policies, and lack of technical understanding at the decision
making level as the key roadblocks to the development of
agriculture in the country.
He, however, said Introduction of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas
Yojana in 2007-2008 was helping with innovation of
agriculture and technology.
President of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Marshall Bouton said that at present in India, rapid
agricultural growth during the Green Revolution was not there,
resulting in serious inflationary pressure due to falling
productivity.
"If inflation persists it will erode public and
political support for the economic reform process and we
started to see some of that in the Anna Hazare movement,"
Bouton said.
He further said that if India is to maintain its food
self-sufficiency in the next decade it needs to unleash its
agricultural sector.

Expressing concern over apathy towards the agricultural
sector, Bouton said that public investment in agriculture has
declined from 20 per cent in the mid-1980s to 7 per cent in
the middle of the last decade," Bouton said.
"The reality is that in India's democratic setup
agricultural policies have been driven, more often than not,
by political considerations. policies are defined to respond
to the needs of urban consumers and better placed farmers and
industry rather than increasing overall agricultural
productivity," he said.
Underlining the need of agricultural reforms sooner than
later, he said that very high public expenditure on subsidies
on distribution system have crowded out public investment in
the public goods particularly in infrastructure, rural
agricultural infrastructure and research that will enable
higher agricultural growth.
"A second green revolution could reduce poverty and
inequality and increase productivity and bolster India's food
security in the years to come. What is needed is the
leadership and vision to make it happen," Bouton said. PTI HK
MNS