Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said it would be essential to push up agriculture growth to over four per cent in order to achieve over eight per cent overall economic growth.
Concerned over low growth in agriculture, Singh asked the agri scientists to provide the necessary technologies to farmers and help in ushering in the 'Second Green Revolution'.
"Agriculture continues to play a vital role, although its share in GDP has been declining," he said inaugurating a two-day national conference on Krishi Vigyan Kendra in New Delhi.
"Unfortunately, the average agricultural growth rate has been just 1.5 per cent in the first three years of the 10th Five Year Plan," he said, adding if India has to achieve growth of over eight per cent, it must aim a farm sector growth of over four per cent.
"I see that the environment is quite favourable for accelerating our growth rate beyond eight per cent. In the NCMP we have set a target of achieving a growth rate of 7-8 per cent per annum. This is not impossible," he said.
"We grew almost seven per cent last year and this year too we expect a growth in excess of seven per cent," he said.