Himalayan Times (1962)

Six

Himalayan Times

COWARDS A HUNDRED MILLION TONS

Rigours of Achieving Food Target

In arohery as in ag-
riculture, the target's the
thing'—but in both oases
the target must be hit.
"A miss", they say, ''is
lie good as a mile". The
Third Plan aims at 100
million tons of foodgrains;
the output before India's
planning era was only
about a moiety of this
figure.

Impressive as this
may seem, the hard fact
ia that the present volume
and rate of production
are insufficient. The vo-
lume is high—about 80
million tons at the end
of the Second Plan—but
it must go up by another
20 million or so. The
present rata of produc-
tion is comparatively low.
Fortunately, there is room
for considerable improve-
ment and advantage must
be taken of this during
the currant Plan.

Although agricultural
development ia by no
means a speedy progress,
there is evidence to shew
that the forces of chance
that have b<"en at work
during the last 10 ytarc
are gaining momentum.
The end of tha Second
Plan was characterised by
a large demand for fer-
tilisers, pesticides, impro-
ved implsments and rurRi

credit. It is not too
much to hope—in fact,
it is a bare necessity of
the situation—that the
Third Plan will be mar-
ked by a rerl break-
through on the agricul-
tural front. It might be
too ambitious to hope for
an even rate of growth
all through this period
but, with particular regard
to foodgrains, the ulti-
mate figure of 100 million
tons is inescapable.

Foortgrainc showed an
annual rate of increase
in the First Plan of 2.5
per cent and in the Se-
cond Plan of 3.4 per oent.
That envisaged in the
Third Plan ia C per cent.

Attainment of annual
targets as well as of the
ultimate 100 million tons
depends upon a number
of factors that must be
regarded as indispensable.
Bricks cannot be made
without straw, neither
can higher yields in ag-
riculture b? attained with-
out the adequate and
timely supply of the
means of production. For
instance, sufficient sup-
plies of fj-rfciliserSj iron
and steel, cement, impro-
ved implements, pesiiei-
des. improved eeeds are
acme cf the elementary
requirements. It is also

necessary to step up de-
velopment in miner irri-
gation projects and push
through soil oonservtticii
sobemea. The Planning
Commission's assurance
that additional funds will
be made available for
miner irrigation and soil
conservation if the five-
year allocations are spent
by the States within the
first three or four years
of the Plan will be hearten-
ing to millions of our
farmers. Also, the active
oooperation and enthu-
siasm of the farmer him.
self—often called "zha
little man behind tha
plough"—in efforts rapid-
ly to raise yields must
be gained through field
demonstrations, extension
work and publicity; also
through suitable ineenii.
vea aucfa aa the provision
of credit facilities and
tha maintenance o f
reasonable price levels.
Alongside all >Lis. atreani-
lined administration
and organisations: arran-
gements by the states in
the execution of ths Go-
vernment's large. oro-
gramme ars aecsissary.

As a result o; the
measures taken sc far
between 15)?0 51 s-od
1960-61, §8 million aojca
are reported to have
received benefits from
major, medium unci tumor
irrigation sohercea. '.'tiring
the same pf-iod the cea-
aumptios o." eitrogSJKittJ