The Hindu : National : Land is not a dematerialised share certificate: Bengal Governor

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 25, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

Land is not a dematerialised share certificate: Bengal Governor

Our Special Correspondent

Says focus should be on bringing small and marginal farmers into mainstream

Need to take advantage of upcoming
technology resources
Conservation of resources and
strong applied research required

KOLKATA: West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi has said that land is not an impersonal, dematerialised share certificate which one can buy and sell with every swing of the Sensex. He has also called for sensitiveness to land losers.

“Land is limited and land is precious. Land holds a special value to farmers and their families. Therefore we have to be sensitive to the responses of those who lose land and livelihood to projects for industry, housing and infrastructure, knowing that industry needs space,” he said at a meeting entitled Second Green Revoluition Summit. The meeting, organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) focussed on bringing small and marginal farmers into mainstream and had a number of farmers who had come as delegates.

Emphasising on the need for an inclusive development dialogue, he said that there was scope for both agriculture and industry but the “first imperative is therefore of a dialogue not when a crisis hangs overhead but well in advance.”

Empirical evidence

Mr. Gandhi said that empirical evidence has shown that options other than compulsory land acquisition are possible. Farmer’s co-operatives have established their own SEZ and industrial estates successfully in Maharashtra and the co-op movement in Gujarat and Maharashtra holds example of what can be done when small farmers pool their resources. There are such instances in West Bengal too, he said. The farming community has a mind of its own, no less than its urban counterpart with preferences which do not like life fait accompli, he said adding “and we will of course have to think carefully on the location of industrial ventures not turning to arable land, before exhausting other options”

Turning to farmers incomes, the Governor said that given that no major increase could be expected on the area under cultivation, there was therefore need to conserve resources better, go in for better seeds and strengthen applied research while ensuring value addition and better post-harvest management.

ICC president Sanjay Budhia said that there was need to take advantage of the existing and upcoming technology resources like efficient water use, efficient fertiliser use. There was also need to empower small and marginal farmers by making them part of the value chain.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National