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Farm test but no industry to blame-Pranesh Sarkar
Rice
Bengal is staring at the possibility of losing self-sufficiency in rice unless the state manages to reverse a declining trend and step up production by as much as 12 per cent over the next four years.

Lack of self-sufficiency in grain production need not necessarily be an alarming factor for a modern economy. But such a status is looming over Bengal in spite of factories not mushrooming on farmland — the scare scenario painted by the Ma-Mati-Manush government to justify its land policy.

“I want to assure this august House that we will achieve this (12 per cent rise) target,” agriculture minister Rabindranath Bhattacharya told the Assembly this afternoon.

According to his speech, grain output in Bengal has to go up from 166.33 lakh tonnes in 2011-12 to 184.61 lakh tonnes in 2016-17 for a projected population of 9.4 crore. Government data suggests the corresponding increase for rice, the staple, has to be from 151 lakh tonnes to 168 lakh tonnes in four years.

Till now, Bengal has been a rice surplus state as the consumption in the last year was around 137 lakh tonnes. However, production has been slipping steadily. (See chart)

The Telegraph had recently reported how the area under rice cultivation in the Boro season fell short by 2.8 lakh hectares, which highlighted lack of interest in rice cultivation.

Economists feel that the state’s poor performance in procurement is one of the key reasons behind the declining trend, which is likely to be replicated in the Aman (monsoon) season. In the past year or so, there have been reports of farmer suicides because of agrarian distress, a possible fallout of tardy procurement.

A report compiled by the food and supplies department has revealed that against a target of procuring 14 lakh tonnes of paddy directly from the farmers between October 2011 and September 2012, the state could manage only 2.33 lakh tonnes till February 28.

“Agriculture has become unattractive because of the steady rise in input costs and lower realisation from the produce. Even if the state receives a central grant as part of the second green revolution in the east, meeting the target will be difficult,” said economist Ratan Khasnobis. This year, the Centre has allocated Rs 1,000 crore for eastern states under the project and Bengal will get around Rs 269 crore.

Bhattacharya said the government would do everything to protect the farmers and offer incentives such as distributing high-yielding seeds and making new technology accessible.

“All these things matter, but procurement is the most important incentive for farmers. Unless the government improves its performance on procurement, increasing rice production will remain a distant dream,” said Subhash Naskar, who was irrigation minister in the Left government.

Some officials in the agriculture department said the government would go all out to meet the target.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has always contended that unfettered acquisition for industry would eat up land available for grain cultivation and Bengal would lose self-reliance in rice.

However, S. Mahendra Dev, economist and Planning Commission member, said: “You don’t need self-reliance in rice at the state level and several states import foodgrain from other states. Take the example of Kerala, which is 50 per cent rice deficient despite rice being a staple in the state.”

According to him, instead of over-emphasising on self-reliance, the state should promote industrialisation to ensure that people have the purchasing power to consume foodgrain.

“Besides, people are shifting from cereals to non-cereals…. So, holding on to land to promote farming and not releasing to industry is not a good idea,” said Dev.