Kolkata: The Centre is planning to give subsidy to individuals or co-operatives to create additional foodgrains storage capacity in the rural areas, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav said.

Addressing members of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce on December 14, the minister said that there were plans to create 18.3 lakh metric tonnes of rural storage capacity and renovation of 1.5 lakh tonnes of existing capacity during 2002- 03.

He said that the Centre would give a subsidy element of 33 per cent towards creating the additional capacity.

Yadav said that for the first time, the government is in the process of preparing an agriculture policy, which he felt should be intensively debated both outside and inside the Parliament.

Earlier, he said that there should be an integrated approach for the development of the jute sector in the country as it was an important cash crop.

Yadav said that marketing infrastructure for agricultural produce will be strengthened by providing facilities for processing, grading and quality testing.

He also touched upon the need for increasing the quantum of exports of agricultural commodities.

PTI