Draft national policy for farmers is a good begining

A paradigm shift appears to be occurring in the way policy-makers in India view agriculture: the focus is moving from increasing food grain production to ensuring farmers' welfare. The shift is evident in the draft National Policy for Farmers, prepared by the National Commission on Farmers (ncf) and submitted to the Union agriculture minister on April 13 .

All previous research and legislation were centred on increasing food grain production. Now that a formidable productivity level has been achieved, the neglected farmer merits attention. "Today, farmers' income is more important than food grain production," says ncf chairperson M S Swaminathan.

There is concern about farming becoming unprofitable for farmers.