The Hindu : `Trade security essential for food security'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 01, 2003

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`Trade security essential for food security'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Jan. 31. Without trade security, sustainable food and livelihood security could not be achieved, M.S. Swaminathan, chairman of the M.S.S.R. Foundation, said here today.

Delivering a lecture on `WTO Agreement on Agriculture: Challenges ahead', organised by the Foundation, Prof. Swaminathan said that at present there was no level-playing ground for developed and developing countries and the provisions of the agreement were "grossly" in favour of the developed countries. He was for a transparent and actionable code of conduct with reference to trade distorting subsidies and introduction of livelihood security which would authorise countries like India, where over 50 per cent of the population depended on agriculture for their survival, to impose quantitative restrictions on import of specific commodities. Such unrestricted imports, he feared, would destroy rural livelihoods and increase distress in the farm sector.

Stressing the need for enhancing the competitiveness of Indian agriculture, Prof. Swaminathan said this should be achieved through a compact integrated action. Agriculturists, he said, should improve not only the productivity but also the quality of farm products. A quality literacy movement should be launched through local bodies on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, besides spreading quality and trade literacy among farmers through an integrated virtual university for agrarian prosperity involving the internet, cable TV, community radio and vernacular press. He also suggested setting up of up-to-date quality testing laboratories in collaboration with industry and there must be a unified agency for approval and monitoring of quality standards. Contract cultivation of high quality farm produce should be promoted on the basis of brand names and buy-back arrangements.

Expressing concern over the huge post-harvest losses, he said out of 140 million tonnes of fruit and vegetable production, only seven per cent was being processed. Improved facilities should be created for drying, processing and packaging and marketing farm products. Farmers, he said, should be encouraged to go for value addition to primary products and trained on organic farming and certification of products like tea, coffee, turmeric, fruits and vegetables.

There must be a national grid of agri-business centres to help farmers in providing market information.

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