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Ready to give more, PM tells farmers

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI AUG. 2. The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, said here today that the Government would take more steps for the welfare of farmers and asked them to focus on increasing productivity and adding value to their produce by adopting modern techniques of food processing.

Addressing a rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party's `kisan morcha' to felicitate him on the Government's reduction in the interest rates on crop loan and agricultural implements, Mr. Vajpayee expressed readiness to recommend one-and-a-half times increase in the support prices of pulses and oilseeds, provided farmers boosted production to make the country self-sufficient in these.

Making a particular reference to a garland of groundnut presented to him earlier, he said the country was spending precious foreign exchange to import edible oils because of shortage and urged farmers to help avoid this. The Government was ready to extend a helping hand.

Mr. Vajpayee advocated the need for a movement to promote rainwater harvesting and appealed to farmers to change their pattern of cultivation to raise per acre productivity and to diversify into production of commodities such as flowers.

There was much demand for flowers in Europe during the winter and this opportunity could be tapped.

The Prime Minister also touched upon the issue of post-harvest losses and said it was unfortunate that 25 to 30 per cent of foodgrains went waste because of inadequate storage facilities. Steps had been taken to create storage capacities but they were not adequate.

Marketing facilities for agricultural produce had to be improved.

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