'India can sustain 4% agriculture growth'

PM is hopeful that India would be able to sustain 4 % growth in farming sector achieved during the past three years.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday expressed optimism that the country would be able to sustain four per cent growth rate in the farming sector achieved during the past three years.

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"Agricultural growth has improved significantly in the last two years (2005-07) of the 10th Plan, and based on evidence for the current year, we expect that in these three years, agricultural growth will average four per cent," Singh said at the National Development Council (NDC) meeting held in the Capital.

Listing out the measures taken by the government for improving the farm sector, the Prime Minister said: "With these measures, we hope that we will be able to sustain the desired growth rate of four per cent in agriculture."

Singh, however, warned that there was no room for complacency.
Based on the recommendation of the NDC meeting on agriculture, the government has already launched the National Food Security Mission to increase the production of wheat, rice and pulses by 20 million tons during the 11th Plan period, he said.

Highlighting that banking credit to the agriculture sector has increased three-fold in the last three years, the Prime Minister said the government is determined to do more to ensure that farmers have access to banking funds at reasonable rates of interest.