This was deliberated in the XVII th meeting of SAARC Technical Committee on Agriculture which recently concluded in New Delhi. But the BJP-led coalition is yet to build up its efforts to persuade Mynamar and Afganistan to join SAARC which falls in the same ecoregion as other SAARC countries. This concept of ecoregion was earlier formulated by the Sangh Parivar in the name of Akhand Bharat.

The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) has also outlined crop specific strategy in export management following GATT accord with a view to developing a sustainable agri-export strategy.

Regarding wheat, non-basmati rice, coarse cereals and maize, NAAS has suggested plan for self sufficiency, discouraging imports through moderate tariffs, boosting productivity of rice and wheat in lowproductivity states.

Regarding basmati rice, fine rice, cotton and tobacco, it has been suggested to aggressively promote exports as the removal of quantitative restrictions (QRs) on imports are not likely to affect domestic producers.

In context of oilseeds NAAS stated that the removal of QRs would facilitate regular supply to industry which would bring revenue through export of oilcakes and oilmeals. Productivity growth is essential in case of soyabeans to protect domestic producers and high tariff rates on imports needed to be retained. Also in the case of oilseeds like rapeseed and mustard, protection through selective high tariffs needed to be retained for short to medium duration to protect domestic producers.

In context of pulses, NAAS stated that deficit in production is likely to continue. Emphasis should, therefore, be on increasing production. As the advantage of off season price rise generally goes to the middlemen, the removal of QRs would stabilise prices which shows violentfluctuations.

NAAS stated that to boost agricultural exports further, it is necessary to explore some emerging areas. For this purpose, the items which had an export value of Rs 10 million to Rs 0.5 billion and an average annual growth rate of over 20 per cent during 1990-91 to 1994-95 could be considered as potential commodities for export promotion strategy for the future. Some of these are poultry, meat, milk and milk products, floriculture and live plants, vegetables, vegetable seeds, arecanut, mangoes, pineapple, litchi, pomegranate, spices, maize, jowar, bajra, flours, starches, seeds, plantinmg materials, lac, natural gum, resins, balsams, vegetable sapsmedicinal and aromatic plants, sugar, chocolates, malts, biscuits, sprituous beverages and animal feeds.

In the new paradigm of ecoregional approach initiated at the recent SAARC Technical Committee on Agriculture, concern has been expressed at the fast rate of environmental changes which is multi-dimensional in nature and needs to be addressedthrough diverse disciples such as ecology, economics, sociology, engineering, politics and ethics. It suggested that there are many routes to rapid agricultural growth which can be either through the expansion of land area with relatively low technology, which is rather limited or primarily through yield-increasing technology or by changing the composition of production.

It was also suggested that ecoregional planning will have to aim at enhancing agricultural productivity and production on a sustainable basis to meet the ever-growing needs of the farm family and the livestock for food, feed, fodder, fuel and fibre. This would imply an upscaling of activities within the eco-regions and dovetailing research and development priorities between and within the eco-regions. This would call for an effective collaborative mechanism ie responsibility for a higher level of integration in research and development efforts. Thus, a lucid distinction of collaborative mechanism and a clear distinction between prioritysetting at eco-regional level and its effective execution at the local levels would be essential.