Create effective mechanism to deal with delayed monsoon: CII

Friday, 14 August 2009, 14:54 IST   |    1 Comments
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New Delhi: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has come up with a five-point agenda to counteract the effect of delayed monsoon on the economic growth. In a statement issued here Thursday, the industry lobby urged the government to effectively implement water and price management, provide weather insurance and strengthen procurement capacity among other suggestions. "Even if there is some catching up in the rainfall in the remaining season of the monsoon, it would still leave the kharif crop adversely impacted due to late harvesting," Rakesh Bharti Mittal, chairman of CII National Council on Agriculture, said in the statement. The impact could also be felt on high value-added agricultural sectors such as horticulture and live stocks, he added. "Export earnings may, therefore, witness a decrease." CII further urged the government to complete all irrigation projects on time and promote "drip irrigation" to conserve water. Drip irrigation is an irrigation method that saves water by allowing it to drip slowly to the roots of plants through a network of valves and tubes. "For the long-term, the government must plan area specific water management policies," the statement said. There has to be an effective mechanism for proper monitoring and forecasting of weather conditions, which are necessary for avoiding speculation and hoarding, said the industry lobby. It also called for a better procurement mechanism for maintaining stock of rain fed crops like pulses. "There is also a strong case for MSP (minimum support price) or a contract farming arrangement for rain-fed crops."
Source: IANS
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