Dependency on farm jobs should come down: Pawar

NEW DELHI: Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said the dependency on farm jobs should come down in the long run.

At present, 58 per cent of the country's population is working in agricultural and allied jobs.

"While all efforts must be made for improving returns to farmers, it is imperative that in the long run, the engagement of labour in agriculture sector will have to be commensurate with its share in GDP," Pawar told a workshop on agriculture at Rashtrapati Bhawan, here.

He suggested workers, who are engaged in low productivity employment in agriculture, will have to shift into non-farm activities that can provide higher real income per head.

He further said that it is equally important to ensure development in industrial sector, particularly in agro- processing and small and medium enterprises, with special focus on skill development to absorb talent from farm sector.

Pawar also underlined that output from agriculture sector in absolute terms will have to grow continuously in keeping with overall growth of economy.

The country's agriculture is characterised by preponderance of small and marginal holdings, dependence on monsoon and underemployment. Given the pressure of population, the per capita availability of agriculture land has diminished from 0.48 hectare in 1951 to 0.14 hectare in 2011, he said.