Bihar to focus on Second Green Revolution

Patna, May 7: The Bihar government has shifted its focus to agriculture with the intent to make the state a “pioneer” in the second green revolution, stung by the lukewarm response of investors coupled with the Centre’s “non-cooperation” in ushering in an era of industrial growth.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar has constituted an agriculture cabinet comprising 17 government departments. The department is aided by agriculture scientist and former director-general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Mangala Rai. The agriculture cabinet has 14 sub-committees made up of agriculture scientists, experts, planners, ministers and officials to work out ways to put Bihar on the fast track of agricultural growth.

Nitish presided over its first meeting last month.

Asked about his emphasis on agriculture, the chief minister told The Telegraph: “I have all along said I do not recognise the setting up of factories here and there as the sign of development. I believe in growth with justice, which would ensure food, clothing, house and education to one and all. Bihar with its good climate and fertile soil irrigated by several rivers has the potential to become a cradle of the second green revolution.”

“We prepared roadmaps for the development of agriculture, industries and other infrastructure during our first tenure from 2005 to 2010. Now, it is the time to assess our first term’s achievements and follow up vigorously for faster growth and better dividends,” he added.

Nitish said Bihar would make industrial progress on the back of agricultural growth and agro-based industries. “I have expressed my wish to ensure a food item from Bihar on the dishes of every Indian. This can happen only through revolution in the farm sector,” he said.

Farm experts tried to explain the rationale behind Nitish’s thinking given that the focus in others states is on industrial growth. A.R. Khan, a doctorate in soil physics from IIT-Kharagpur and principal scientist, ICAR (eastern region), said: “The chief minister wishes to play on his strength. With the segregation of Jharkhand, Bihar lacks in coal, iron and other raw materials required for industrial growth.”

Khan said it was always better to do what you can do better. “It is said that if the third world war takes place it will be over water. Fortunately, the Indo-Gangetic plain and Brahmaputra basin, in which Bihar, Bengal and other states lie, is endowed with adequate river water and groundwater resources. Other regions are going to suffer without them. Why should the government not use such a resource to make the region a repository of food grain?” he asked.

Bureaucrats pointed to the “many irremovable hurdles” that the government encountered while promoting industrial growth. “Entrepreneurs did respond initially to the government’s proposal to set up ethanol industries based on sugar-cane. But the Centre amended the law making it mandatory for investors to produce sugar too besides ethanol, compelling them to back out,” said an officer.

The government, said the officer, therefore wanted special category status from Delhi that would ensure tax holidays, coal linkage and availability of resources to lure investors but that has not happened so far.

Moreover, with population rising and price of land galloping, few are willing to part with their land. Nitish has already seen what happened with Singur in Bengal where the land agitation drove out the Nano project. “Take the case of Bihar also where farmers are fighting against acquisition of land even for setting up power plants, not to speak of ceding land for private entrepreneurs,” said a minister. “No government would promote private industries at the cost of losing people’s support.”