Global meet today: State to throw its doors open to agri investment

The Agribusiness and Food Processing Meet-2011, to be held at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), will also witness the State government throw its doors open to investment in cold-storage linkages,  food-processing industries, sericulture, fisheries, farm tourism and improving ports.

At least 50 memoranda of understanding, involving an investment pledge of Rs 50,000 crore, are likely to be signed during the two-day meet. International players from France, the Netherlands, Israel and Australia, besides domestic investors, will participate in the meet to be inaugurated by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

Several farmers’ organisations are planning a parallel session on sustainable agriculture near BIEC in protest against the convention.

Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene have dubbed the Global Agri Investors’ Meet as an effort to reduce small and marginal farmers to “beggars” by snatching their lands. Farmers’ organisations feel the global meet is detrimental to farm labourers as it would focus on turning the agriculture sector into a highly mechanised activity.

Apprehensions

CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury is also likely to address the parallel meeting. Hundreds of farmers are expected to stage a peaceful protest near the convention venue.
The government has been trying to allay the apprehensions of the farming community by stating that the meet would infuse dynamism into agriculture and help boost farmers’ income.

Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda recently told mediapersons that the meet was aimed at improving agricultural infrastructure.

“I want to make it clear that the meet is being held only with an intention of improving the farmers’ condition by providing agri infrastructure and not for either snatching their lands or to keep them under our control,” he had said. Sessions on animal husbandry, dairy farming and fisheries, food processing, horticulture, sericulture and agri-infrastructure are on the meet’s agenda.

The State is also looking forward to investments in the sectors of integrated commodity parks, food processing, warehousing, farm machinery, rural farms, marketing intelligence, seed production, contract farming, among others.