Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Agriculture sector lagging behind

Nearly 60% of the country's rural population is into farming
The agriculture sector has been chronically neglected by the Asia and Pacific region of the world, leading to 218 million people - a third of the region’s poor and largely living in rural areas continue extreme poverty and broadening the gap between rich and poor. These are the conclusions reached by a 2008 survey conducted by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Roughly over half of the population in the region depends on agriculture and as the survey says it provides employment to 60 % of the working population.

Therefore this sector needs a serious attention and revitalisation. “Governments must show greater political will to address decades of policy neglect and failure in the agriculture sector” Noeleen Heyzer, the Executive Secretary of ESCAP, said. The Survey says that growth and productivity in the sector have slowed down and the Green Revolution appears to have passed millions.

“In South Asia, growth in agriculture dropped from 3.6% in 1980s to 3% in 2002-03,” the survey says and suggests that rural infrastructure needs to be improved so that the farmers are able to reach their products to markets. It further says that productivity and investment in this sector should also be increased....Continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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