Pulling out all stops in green revolution of east

NEW DELHI: The Economic Times Roundtable for Combating Food Inflation by tapping eastern India on Friday drew a throng of policymakers, notably Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, companies, intermediaries and farmers who tossed around problems, solutions and success stories in equal measure.

The inaugural session focused on infrastructure, or rather the lack of it, which has tied an anchor to the eastern region's farm potential.

Yes Bank Founder, MD and CEO Rana Kapoor, in his keynote address, outlined proposals such as inculcating best practices in field management, seeds and fertlisers, building tractors, adopting technology, improving irrigation and creating storage facilities. He called on the government to set up agri clusters and townships.

Adanis Wilmar MD Pranav Adani said the government should galvanise efforts to boost productivity while National Bulk Handling Corp CEO and MD Anil Choudhary said the east has not got its due, but raising productivity in the region to the national average will spawn a 8,000-crore investment opportunity.

Kumar said agriculture is key to the state's cherished goal of development at a session on the strategic direction for achieving sustainable growth, chaired by Agriculture Secretary PK Basu. Bihar's fluctuations in farm growth, a trend that International Food Policy Research Institute Asia Director Ashok Gulati pointed out, are due to the floods that ravage the state every three-four years, said Kumar. But he agreed that the economist's observation on Bihar's poor record in water management was true. The farm potential Eastern India, said Gulati, has been suppressed by floods, power shortage and poor water management.

Iffco MD US Awasthi lamented the trend of farmers quitting agriculture at the afternoon session on boosting production. "The government is kind only to the urban population," he said. Swapan Kumar Dutta of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research said productivity can be enhanced by up to three times by identifying genes, including those resistant to bacteria, in grains.

Monsanto Corn Business Director Shilpa Divekar Nirula said her company is dealing directly with farmers, who are more aware thanks to mobile-based advisories. National Seed Association of India Executive Director RK Sinha said policy intervention is needed to tackle technology and yield fatigue.

A raft of success stories from Bihar and other parts of the east came to light at the session on streamlining market stratgies, chaired by Nafed MD Sanjeev Chopra. Dabur India Procurement Head Somit Mukherjee said his company receives litchi pulp mostly from Vaishali and Muzaffarpur in North Bihar.

Haryali Kisan Bazaar Agro Business V-P Arjun Uppal said his company provides market access to farmers and pays them directly.

ITC Group's Technico Agri Sciences CEO Sachid Madan said the mandi tax, which contributes 3,600 crore to government coffers, must be abolished. Fomer Agriculture Secretary T Nanda Kumar presented a collection of ideas and challenges that the conference threw up. Bajaj Hindusthan sponsored the event.