Date:06/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/06/stories/2008070654680600.htm

Kerala - Alappuzha

Isaac sees major role for local bodies in Food Security Mission

Staff Reporter

Says local bodies should spend Rs.400 crore on various counts

ALAPPUZHA: The State government is expecting local governing bodies to spend around Rs.400 crore on various counts for the implementation of the Food Security Mission, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac has said.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Dr. Isaac said this would be apart from the Rs.250 crore expected to come through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP). Local governing bodies would have a major role to play in the Food Security Mission, for which the State government had already relaxed several norms in the agriculture sector.

Apart from the subsidies for seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, the governing bodies could also now pay premiums on behalf of farmers for availing themselves of crop insurance. On the whole, the State government was offering a comprehensive package to prop up the agriculture sector and thereby ensuring success of the mission.

The package included help through the NREGP for preparing fallow lands for cultivation, subsidies, interest-free loans and crop insurance, he said.

However, much would depend on the Union government as well, which he felt, had to hike the paddy procurement price.

The State government was already offering Rs.10 a kg, and this could be hiked further if the Centre was ready to hike its existing price of Rs.8.50 a kg.

Dr. Isaac reiterated that the Centre was to blame for the price rise in the State. The Centre was claiming that it had procured two crore tonnes of wheat and paddy. However, the slashed rice quota for Kerala was yet to be restored and with the two crore tonnes being held back in Food Corporation of India granaries, the Centre was indirectly fuelling the price rise, he said.

To a query, Dr. Isaac said the State government had disbursed Rs.40 crore as paddy procurement payment to farmers in the State so far. There was more to be disbursed, but that was the responsibility of the Centre, since the paddy being procured now was going to the Central pool.

The Minister was here to review the progress of tsunami rehabilitation works in his constituency of Mararikulam. District panchayat president R. Nazar and Additional District Magistrate Koshy John were present.