Focus on agriculture
The article on "Focus on agriculture' (Business Line, February 18) highlighted the need for giving importance to the agricultural sector in the context of its importance to the economy. The article focused on price levels of agricultural commodities in the background of the Government's concern for checking inflation. In this context, it is worth looking at the growth strategy adopted by Israel, a small country made up of predominantly desert and semi-arid land. Since its independence in 1948, it has been able to increase its agricultural production 16-fold, thanks to the synergies and co-operation between agricultural scientists, extension workers, farmers and service industries. Israeli farmers conserve water by constructing terraces in the hilly regions, which naturally holds water. Besides, drip irrigation techniques are used to reduce water consumption for agriculture. Also, use of optimal water, sunlight and air pressure increases productivity. Genetic technology and tissue culture have been employed to reduce the cropping time. Besides, techniques such as use of soil preparation machinery have increased soil fertility. Result: Higher production at low cost. This has enabled the country to export more than 70 per cent of its farm produce. What India requires is a marriage of superior cost-effective techniques and farming, akin to the Israeli model, to increase production at lesser cost. This will increase the profit margin of farmers and could be a solution to their economics-related problems. P. E. Muthu Mumbai
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