Former Chief Secretary Mohan Kanda on Thursday called for macro-management of agriculture allied sectors at the Central level and said it was imperative for a re-orientation of input systems like research, seed, fertilizer and the like from the supply-driven, to a demand-driven mode.
At the inaugural session of an international conference on ‘Governance in Agriculture and Allied Sectors-Issues and Way Forward’, organised by the Centre for Good Governance (CGG), he underscored the need for placing viability of individual farms at the centre of all agricultural policies and interventions.
In his inaugural address, former IAS officer T. Nanda Kumar said that among governance challenges in the sector, primacy of interventions needed to focus on global and national policies on food security, public and private research and development to address hunger and mal-nutrition. Also needed was the creation of an eco-system that accorded a high degree of freedom to the farmer to source his inputs and sell his produce and on the need for information dissemination and a response system for farmers on climate variability.
Several paper presentations from scholars of national and international repute apart, the two-day conference has round table discussions on agricultural governance and agricultural disasters. Participants include eminent scientists, policy-makers, academicians, administrations and representatives from voluntary agencies.
Earlier, Director-General, CGG, K. Ramakrishna Rao welcomed and highlighted the large outlay and focus of the Telangana Government on agriculture and allied sectors. Director-Agriculture, CGG, J. Devi Prasad proposed the vote of thanks.
