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Feroze N Masani
July 26: This is the second and concluding part of the story "Going beyond the Green Revolution" that appeared in our July 17 issue. In horticulture merely providing planting material is not enough. The coordination of linkages for other inputs is vital. Infrastructure development of the cold chain, providing market support, research and development of the best varieties, providing the latest pesticide formulations, removing bottlenecks in cargo space are issues which growers are facing and fighting individually. Without a coordinated policy and political will to meet the varied needs of a cherry grown in Kashmir or an orchid exporter in Tamil Nadu, our progress in horticulture will remain limited.
Diversification of Agricultural Production: Diversification of agricultural production is a national issue.
A correct balance must be struck between production areas under foodgrains, oilseeds and horticulture.
If the process of diversification in agro production is to succeed, decentralisation of July 26: This is the second and concluding part of the story "Going beyond the Green Revolution" that appeared in our July 17 issue. In horticulture merely providing planting material is not enough. The coordination of linkages for other inputs is vital. Infrastructure development of the cold chain, providing market support, research and development of the best varieties, providing the latest pesticide formulations, removing bottlenecks in cargo space are issues which growers are facing and fighting individually. Without a coordinated policy and political will to meet the varied needs of a cherry grown in Kashmir or an orchid exporter in Tamil Nadu, our progress in horticulture will remain limited.
Diversification of Agricultural Production: Diversification of agricultural production is a national issue.
A correct balance must be struck between production areas under foodgrains, oilseeds and horticulture.
If the process of diversification in agro production is to succeed, decentralisation ofpolicies is essential. State Governments should be in a position to control all the inputs for agro production. Unfortunately this is not the case at the moment.
Decentralisation of Policies to Boost Agro Production: State governments are best suited to frame horticulture policies and implement them; keeping in view the national objective of diversification. I would like to illustrate the need to decentralise policy formation and share the problems faced by growers when they take up a national challenge and venture into areas previously unknown.
After the new Policy on Seed Development several growers and even corporate houses ventured into floriculture with a view to develop an export oriented business. Without any cohesive policies on floriculture each unit struggled on its own to :
The problems were further exaggerated by the fact that each new entrant decided to grow a single flower - Roses. Each unit in Maharashtra and later in Karnataka and Haryana and Punjab went about setting up rose projects making the same mistakes and facing the same problems.
A cohesive policy at a national level and its decentralised implementation by the State Government would have led to a better allocation of resources. India would have emerged as a supplier of a range of flowers rather than a single product. Four years ago rose growers were faced by a pest attack by red spider mites, against which local pesticides were ineffective for greenhouse application.
The State Government in Maharashtra was quick to take up the cause of their growers. The STate Agriculture University sent scientists to assess crop damage. The State Government recommended immediate import of pesticide formulation and also a changein the moralities which would allow the units to import pesticide for their own use in future. The myopic view within the Government of India has however kept issues at a standstill.
Import of pesticides falls within the purview of the Insecticide Act of 1968. Insecticides remain within the Restricted List of Imports, even for actual users. Four years on, flower growers all over the country are losing crores of rupees as the decision making process in Delhi seems non-existent. The export of grapes was again, like flowers, taken up by growers and traders.
(The author is a leading exporter of cut flowers and is based in Nashik)
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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