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`Farmers must get remunerative prices for their produce'

INDIA ON THE MARCH: The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of the 60th Independence Day Celebration on Tuesday. - Kamal Narang

New Delhi , Aug. 15

The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on Tuesday hinted that consumers could soon have to pay more for their food, kerosene and cooking gas, even while asserting that the Government was committed to ensuring adequate availability of essential commodities at affordable prices for the needy and the poor.

In his address to the nation on the occasion of the 60th Independence Day here on Tuesday, Dr Singh said that farmers could not be grudged better incomes when incomes of other sections of society were rising.

"We need to understand that if we want better prices for farmers so that they earn a better livelihood, the prices of what they produce and sell will have to go up," he said, adding that the results of the efforts to improve agriculture were clearly visible in some places and that farmers were getting better prices for many crops.

At the same time, he admitted that more work needs to be done to ensure more remunerative prices for the farmers. "I am aware of the acute distress of our farmers who bear the burden of heavy debt. We have recently constituted an expert group to look into the problem of agricultural indebtedness. I am confident in a few months we will take concrete measures to help our farmers overcome the burden of crushing debt," he said.

Rising global oil prices

On the rising global oil prices, Dr Singh pointed out that the Government had succeeded in insulating the consumers to a great extent, even though the world oil prices have gone up from $30 per barrel two years ago to nearly $75 per barrel now. "Prices of LPG and kerosene have not been raised. But there is a limit to which we can go on subsidising the consumption of petroleum products in the face of rising import costs. How much more can the Government treasury bear this burden? At some point, this will affect our ability to spend on other important development programmes," he said.

Economic growth

Stating that India was on the march and growing at over 8 per cent, the Prime Minister said the most effective way to banish poverty was to generate growth, which, in turn, would create new opportunities for gainful employment. "Hence, economic growth is of primary importance for us," he said.

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