Withdrawal of subsidies on urea, review of existing policies on fertiliser subsidy and emphasis on soil test-based fertiliser use are among the set of proposals the mid-term appraisal of the Tenth Five-Year Plan is likely to make.
The Planning Commission is likely to suggest that subsidies on pesticides should be extended to bio-agents and certificates issued by the government for bio-agents should be valid in court.
Bio-control agents have emerged as an ecologically safe alternative for pest management in agriculture. However, farmers have not yet adopted them on a large-scale.
The commission feels that the phasing out of hazardous pesticides and introduction of newer molecules for the management of pests are necessary, especially in view of the WTO requirements on pesticide residue levels in edible commodities.
The appraisal is also likely to call for the establishment of a national plant quarantine authority and to strengthen quarantine facilities keeping in view the increased volume of trade in agricultural products.
It may ask the fertiliser industry to promote awareness among farmers about the deficiencies of sulphur, zinc, iron, boron and manganese, along with remedial measures.
The commission is also likely to suggest the expansion of the fertiliser quality control network and improvement in the installed capacity of fertiliser testing labs to prevent production and sale of sub-standard and spurious fertilisers.
The Tenth Plan had targeted a growth 4 per cent in agricultural gross domestic product, reversing the deceleration seen in the second half of the 1990s. The target, however, seems far from being achieved.
The average agricultural growth in the first two years of the Tenth Plan was below 2 per cent. In the current fiscal year, it is unlikely to exceed 1-1.5 per cent.
In order to reverse the declining trend in agricultural growth, there is a need to focus on irrigation and water resources management, watershed development, development of waste lands, agricultural investments and reforms in the areas of extension, services, agricultural credit and marketing.
