Seminar on the occasion of World Food Day
Rawla Senti village, Chittorgarh October 16, 2006

On the occasion of World Food Day, CUTS Centre for Human Development (CUTS CHD), in association with the District Supply Office, Chittorgarh organised a seminar on, “Investment in Agriculture for Food Security” at Rawla Senti village, Chittorgarh on October 16, 2006.

In his welcome address, G P Bohra, the District Supply Officer, Chittorgarh, said that India is a agriculture dominated country where it is very necessary to invest in agriculture sector for food security. He emphasised the need for paying attention to quality along with quantity in agriculture production and promoting safety blanket to farmers, who are associated with this sector whereby the possibility of more and more investment in agriculture could be realised. He called upon the national agricultural and rural development bank to come forward in this regard.

On the occasion, Vijay Kumar Pandey, Deputy Director, Agriculture (Expansion) said that to save the honour of the country, it is very urgent to be self-reliant in the area of food production. He voiced his concern over the rate of population growth during the last few years vis-à-vis the decline in the rate of food production, and asked for greater focus on the quality as well as on the quantity of the food security. He opined that there should be focus on those crops that can yield good produce in unfavourable conditions, and a proper processing and storage facility for the food products. He emphasised the need for protection to the farmers, proper price for their produce and the safety from the government in case of natural calamity.

Speaking on the occasion, Y K Ujjawal, the regional manager, National Seeds Corporation, Chittorgarh, said that there should be proper protection of crops against animals and birds in order to solicit more investment in the agriculture sector, so that produce could be enhanced. He rated the quality of the food products as more important in the present context. He also sided with the unlimited possibilities of investment in organic agriculture.

Ratan Lal Khatik, the Assistant Professor of Agriculture Science Centre, while stressing the need for the promotion of organic food in order to preserve the fertility of the arable land said that there has been decline in the fertility of the soil due to reckless use of chemical fertilisers. He also said that farmers should get a proper return for their produce, so that the food security could get due promotion.

On this occasion, Vijay Kumar Sethia opined that the government should work towards promoting animal husbandry along with agriculture and providing subsidy and other benefits to the small and marginal farmers, so that they could get proper employment to sustain their families and bring about food security. Sethia stressed the need for greater role of scientists and policymakers in the promotion of agriculture sector. He said that policymakers should implement the policies only when they have in-depth knowledge of the ground situation.

Madanlal Keer and Seema Yagnik of CUTS CHD and R S America from Chittorgarh Cooperative Bahnadar Limited also spoke on the occasion. Devendra Kumar Paliwal and Manoj Dixit of CUTS CHD conducted the seminar and gave the vote of thanks respectively. A total of 22 participants attended the seminar.