Date:11/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/11/stories/2006091112010100.htm

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Pawar, Achuthanandan discuss farm crisis

Special Correspondent

The Union Agriculture Minister begins three-day tour of the State

HOPE FOR FARMERS: Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar with Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran during discussions on the State's agricultural crisis in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. - Photo: S. Gopakumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister for Food and Agriculture Sharad Pawar began a three-day tour of the State to study the agriculture crisis in the State.

The Union Minister is visiting Alappuzha, Idukki, Wayanad and Palakkad districts to hold discussions with people's representatives and farmers' organisations. He will also meet representatives from Kasaragod district besides holding a final round of talks with Ministers in Kozhikode.

Before leaving for Alappuzha on the first leg of his tour, the Union Minister held discussions with Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and his colleagues.

After the discussions, the Union Minister told presspersons that the package the Centre was considering for Kerala included debt relief, interest waiver, irrigation and watershed development and rainwater harvesting. Besides the proposals included dairy, poultry and fisheries development to supplement farmers' incomes.

Mr. Pawar declined to say when the assistance sought by the State would come through. Nor did he confirm whether Idukki and Alappuzha districts would be included in the package.

"I am not knowledgeable about the present situation in Kerala. I want to know about it. So, I will visit the four districts," he said when asked why the assistance was being delayed despite several memoranda by the State Government and assessments by Central teams.

(Mr. Pawar said in Alappuzha that the Union Government would consider the issue of implementing a `Vidharbha model' package in Alappuzha and Idukki districts only after studying the memorandums submitted by organisations of farmers and holding discussions with the State Government and members of Parliament from the State. Mr. Pawar said he could not give any commitment on the issue.)

Asked about his proposed merger of the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Mr. Pawar said his priority was the handling of the agriculture crisis.