NEW DELHI: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Tuesday called for substantial re-orientation of national economic policies in favour of beleaguered agriculture sector especially for small and marginal farmers to save the country from what he described as "an imminent economic disaster of unimaginable magnitude".  

Departing from the prepared text in a highly emotive extempore speech at the special session on agriculture in the 53 rd Meeting of National Development Council held at Delhi, Badal said that farmers had been forced to live in almost sub-human plight, with 70% of them unable to have any access even to basic amenities like healthcare, education and clean drinking water.  

"The shocking state of the farmers in Punjab is reflected in just 4% students with farming and rural background getting admission into any university including the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana", he said.  

In an address charged with emotion, Badal went for the guttural, addressing himself directly to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.  " Relief packages have gone to the farthest corners of the country like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Vidharba, but Punjab looks so remote from Delhi. I am here to tell the nation: 'you give our farmers what they need and they will give you every thing that you need.  From a food importing country we will turn India into a food surplus country', said Badal. 

The Chief Minster in particular sought a special package to fight farmer indebtedness in Punjab.  He also demanded that the criteria for fixing Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agriculture produce be drastically recast linking it with the overall price index or ensuring 50% profits above the farmers investments.   In addition, Badal also pleaded for the introduction of a comprehensive agriculture insurance scheme to the advantage of the farming community. "However, till a proper agriculture insurance is set up, farmers should be paid full compensation for the damaged crops", remarked Badal.

Making a forceful plea to continue with Minimum Support Price to ensure adequate production of foodgrains and remunerative returns to the farmers, Badal said that it was distressing that during the first five years of this century the MSP remained virtually frozen, whereas, the cost of inputs increased substantially resulting in lower income for the farmers which not only lead to their indebtedness, but also higher suicides instances in the agriculturally developed States. "We strongly recommend that the MSP mechanism should be linked to price index as well as the formula given the National Commission for Farmers that is cost of cultivation plus 50%", observed Badal.

In a significant demand, the chief minister urged the Centre to slash the interest on the crop loan from 7% to 5%. He was of the view that the credit should be made available to the farmers at a minimal rate of interest.

The Chief Minister said that the Punjab had made huge sacrifices in terms of depletion of its water and soil resources to ensure food security for the country.  He demanded Punjab should be re-designated as a Special Category State and given a liberal fiscal grant/assistance in agriculture sector.  to strengthen its canal system. Similarly, under CADWM (Command Area Development and Water Management) the grant needs to be increased to 75% in order that more areas are covered to ensure optimum utilization of available water. He also recommended that the conditionalities attached to the major programme of irrigation namely AIBP (Accelerate Irrigation Benefit Programme) and CADWM (Command Area Development and Water Management) needs to be modified to remove the condition of one for one project.

Badal supported the up-scaling of public investment in agriculture, increasing irrigation coverage, involvement of private sector through public private partnership mode for higher investment in agriculture, encouraging contract farming, agro-processing, upgrading of livestock, improving the credit outreach and development and introduction of new technologies for bringing out better productivity. "The State Government, however, does not agree with the suggestion of the Sub-Committee to reduce fiscal support to agriculture by way of subsidies as the supply of inputs (especially fertilizers) at a reasonable price to the farmers for ensuring adequate food grain production" said Mr.Badal.

Emphasizing on the need to ensure timely availability of inputs for optimum crop production, Mr.Badal suggested that required quantity of various fertilizers be made available to the States by Government of India at the proper time. He pointed out that the availability of fertilizers particularly Phosphatic fertilizers remains constrained during Rabi for sowing of wheat every year.

The Chief Minister called for abolition of the income tax from the agriculture allied sector like, dairy, fishery and poultry, realizing the tremendous potential for growth of livestock sector, which accounts for more than 1/3 rd of the total income from the agricultural sector. 

The Chief Minister vehemently opposed the concept of corporate farming as it fears that in the long run this will lead to alienation of land from small farmers. He however, said that he was in the favour of contract farming.

The Chief Minister also pleaded for increased funding to the State Agricultural Universities and State Veterinary Universities for the development of new technologies in the agriculture like Biotechnology.