• PAGE ONE
• INDEX
• HOME

Agri-concerns

S. Sankara Muthukumar, Sivakasi

Rural development is real development. In an agrarian economy, though the contribution of the service industry to GDP is high, the agricultural sector must be nursed for immediate recovery.

Why is the service industry able to contribute more to GDP? The agricultural sector's contribution has come down. There is no free movement of agricultural commodities, which hinders the marketing side of this sector. When we are encouraging exports of e ven pens, pencils, and so on, what prevents the Government from allowing free movement of agricultural produce at least from one district to another.

The Agriculture Ministry and the concerned state departments must be committed. Corporatisation of agriculture is possible. The Government should take necessary efforts to bring the corporates not only into the industrial sector but also into the agricul tural sector. By corporatising the agricultural sector, the problem of poor infrastructure can be overcome.