Wednesday, January 4 2006 17:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Hyderabad: Expressing concern over increasing number of suicides by farmers, agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan today (Jan 4, 2006) urged the government to carry out ryot-friendly reforms in its agriculture policy.

"Such policy reforms should be pro-small farmer, pro-women and pro-landless agricultural labour," he said here delivering a lecture on '2006-07: Year of Agricultural Renewal'.

Rural indebtedness is growing, which has resulted in increasing number of suicides among farmers, especially in Vidharba in Maharashtra, he said.

Swaminathan said if the government did not attend to the problems of small farm and landless agricultural labour with a sense of urgency, the "Indian enigma of the co-existence of enormous technological capacity and entrepreneurship on one hand and extensive malnutrition and poverty on the other will lead to social disruption and violence."

The noted scientist also asked the government to declare the agricultural year 2006-07 as the 'Year of Agricultural Renewal', which should culminate with adoption of a national policy for farmers.

Swaminathan, who is also the chairman of the National Commission of Farmers(NCF), also suggested establishment of Indian Trade Organisation (ITO), as a national self empowerment measure to specialise in WTO affairs, and redesignating of the Ministry of Agriculture as the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.