Institutional Mechanism Must for Creating Robust Agri Value Chain Management: Dr. Ashok Dalwai, CEO, NRRA

Dr Ashok Dalwai, CEO, NRRA, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt of India today said that we need to build up an institutional mechanism both at the Centre and State levels to utilize the corpus of funds allocated to the agriculture sector so that a robust and integrated Agri value chain management can be created. 

Speaking at the FICCI webinar on ‘Positive Implications of Atmanirbhar Bharat Package on Agriculture Sector’, Dr Dalwai said, “Atmanirbhar Bharat symbolizes a kaleidoscope of agriculture sector interventions, comprising policy liberalization and Agri-logistics upgrade.” The two complement each other and are set to impart an accelerated pace to the growth of agriculture sector and overall economy of India. He added, “Reforms announced under Atmanirbhar Bharat is just the beginning and not the end. It will unleash an income revolution for our farmers.” 

Dr Dalwai said that there is a change in thought process and now we look at agriculture as a business opportunity. He also mentioned that demand forecasting and digital farming will play a big role in the days to come. 

During the webinar FICCI-GT Report on ‘Decoding agriculture in India amid COVID-19 crisis’ was released. 

“Provision of financing facility of INR one lakh crore for building farm gate infrastructure should be pursued in PPP model so that maximum stakeholders can leverage the opportunity,” said Mr T R Kesavan, Chairman, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President, TAFE Ltd. He stressed upon the need for creation of an Agri Council in line with the GST Council for an integrated approach between the Centre, state and all concerned ministries. 

Dr Ajai Kumar, Head Government and Industry Affairs-South Asia, Corteva Agriscience said, “Atmanirbhar Bharat is a progressive concept where India not only becomes self-reliant but also plays an enhanced role in the global supply chain. He added that in these testing times when global supply chains have been disrupted and are shifting, India can play a meaningful role in supplying agri-inputs to the farmers across the globe. 

Mr Amit Mundawala, Executive Director, StarAgri Warehousing and Collateral Management Ltd said, “Atmanirbhar Bharat package has given the required impetus to the agri sector which is going to lead the sector to the next growth phase.” He congratulated the government for the three landmark ordinances that are definitely going to change the face of the agri sector in India. 

Mr Rahul Kapur, Partner, Grant Thornton India LLP, said that the agriculture sector has again demonstrated its resilience during these trying times. The government has reconfirmed its commitment to the sector by giving it timely support. Going forward, agriculture will continue to support the economy and create jobs until the rest of the sectors stabilize. 

Key highlights of FICCI–Grant Thornton report on ‘Decoding agriculture in India amid COVID-19 crisis’. 

• Creation of an Agri council on lines of the GST council to enable coordination and enforcement between center, state and other ministries.

• The future Agri supply chains need to have integration of market intelligence with demand estimation. To achieve this, integrating Internet of Things (IoT), geospatial mapping and cloud computing must be explored.

• Advance data analytics and network mapping to monitor produce flow and identify gaps is necessary for information on risks in supply chain. This will also be valuable while devising suitable strategies to curb postproduction losses.

• Larger allocation should be made in technology, farm mechanization and research and development to ensure increased productivity and improved quality at global levels.

• To improve the efficiency for agriinput subsidies given by the government to the farmers, all the agri-input cost should be calculated based on one hectare and farmers should be given DBT as soon as the requirement arises. 

• Government needs to develop more custom hiring centres(CHCs) to enable small and marginal farmers adopt use of machinery in farming activities at reasonable prices. 

• India should prioritize the export of value added agrifood products. A step in this direction includes promoting India’s food processing industry globally. Further, a more accommodative export policy, specifically with the export of food grains would help India secure a leading position in the global food supply chain. 

• Incentivizing research and development in the sector and introducing a fast track regulatory regime would help attract greater investments in the sector.