January 22, 2002
'27'
POLICY ON AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SOON
Government is finalising a policy framework for agricultural extension to serve the needs of the farming community. The extension policy is likely to be operationalised during the Tenth Plan through the centrally sponsored scheme called "Extension Support to States". The Union Agriculture Secretary, Shri J.N.L. Srivastava while inaugurating the National Workshop on Planning and Management of Agricultural Extension training here today said that his department has been working on restructuring agricultural extension to make it more responsive to the changing agricultural scenario in the wake of economic liberalisation and globalisation. Stating that the National Agriculture Policy announced by the government in the year 2000 has specifically laid emphasis on extension and technology dissemination, Shri Srivastava said that the National Agriculture Policy highlights the need for institutional changes to make the extension system farmer-responsible and farmer-accountable. It also highlights the need for capacity building and skill upgradation of extension functionaries as well as the need to involve the private sector in technology dissemination, he added. The Secretary also said that the approach paper to the Tenth Plan also highlights the need for revamp of the old extension system.
Shri Srivastava said that under the World Bank sponsored National Agriculture Technology Project (NATP) many of the concepts emphasised in the National Agriculture Policy are being pilot tested in 28 districts of seven States. He said that The Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) model successfully demonstrates farmer-centric, demand-driven method of technology dissemination.
The ATMA model’s group approach has brought together the farmers with common interests such as `thrift & saving’, `micro-capital’, `marketing of produce’ and `provision of services’. Shri Srivastava called upon the State government to devise a long-term work plan basing on a thorough gap analysis. He said that marketing extension should be brought center stage.
Joint Secretary in the Union Agriculture Ministry, Smt. Reeta Sharma said that there is need for reexamination, reassessment and a fresh and systematic approach to the whole issue of Human resource Development for agricultural extension. This, she said, would imply undertaking reforms in the institutional and personnel policies for extension in the State as well as Central Government.
Participants from the field of extension training drawn from various states and union territories are taking part in this two-day workshop. The Training Programmes involved in this workshop will form the year long activities of the training schedule. These programmes would be arrived at and prioritized in consultation with the State government officials who would articulate their states requirements. The Divisional Heads and Technical officers of the Ministry of Agriculture would also indicate priorities in-built in the centrally sponsored schemes. Besides, personnel from training institutes from the national and regional level and state agricultural universities would share their areas of expertise in the workshop. After deliberations, the two-day workshop will finalise the annual training calendar for 2002-03.
A review of the training programme has indicated that there has been a significant change in the last decade. Foodgrain production oriented training programmes which accounted for 62% of all courses in 1990-91 have reduced to 34%, whereas training programmes dealing with diversification that accounted for 4% have increased significantly to 25% during the same period.